A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Adams Jagaba, has said that the Southern Kaduna Senatorial seat is not for bench warmers and people who cannot speak for the senatorial district. Jagaba, a former federal lawmaker who represented Kachia/ Kagarko federal constituency for three terms, is one of the top contenders for the Southern Kaduna senatorial seat come 2023.
Speaking in an interview with Invicta radio, Kaduna, he said a senator from southern Kaduna is like a governor and the people cannot afford to elect somebody who cannot speak for them.
About six chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are said to have declared their interest in the senatorial race.
Besides Jagaba, other top contenders include, the incumbent, Senator Danjuma La’ah, Hon. Sunday Katung, a former lawmaker and PDP deputy governorship candidate in the 2019 elections and Hon. Nicholas Garba, a serving federal lawmaker, representing Jama’a/Sanga federal constituency.
Jagaba said if the contest will be based on performance, he is the most qualified.
According to him, the contest would be “operation show your credentials and performance,” declaring that he is the candidate to beat.
He said: “The contest is operation show your credentials and performance. So I personally believe that if the election will be based on performance, I am the candidate to beat.”
He said during his three terms in the House of Representatives, he facilitated the employment of over 200 youths across southern Kaduna, even though he was representing/ Kagarko federal constituency.
He added that he had consistently defended the interest of the southern Kaduna people at all times.
“I have provided job employment at the federal level to the teeming youths of Southern Kaduna though I was representing Kachia/Kagarko federal constituency.
“I provided federal jobs for 218 youths across the eight LGA in the senatorial zones.
“My heart is for Southern Kaduna. So if the people will judge us base on performance I am most qualified.
“Come to representation on the floor of the House, I have the tenacity audacity and courage to speak on any issues that touched on the interest of Southern Kaduna.
“The southern Kaduna people know that I always speak for them. The records are there.
“A senator from southern Kaduna is like our governor there. So you cannot elect a bench warmer.
“You cannot afford to elect a person that cannot speak for the people. You cannot elect somebody that cannot provide employment for the teeming youths in Southern Kaduna.
“It should be by merit not by sentiments or tribalism or religion or whether you are a majority or minority.”
The PDP chieftain accused the Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for imbalance in appointments, describing it as unjust.
“In Kaduna during the PDP administration, if the governor comes from Kaduna north, the minister will always come from Southern Kaduna.
“Right under this administration, the governor and all the all the ministers are from the northern part of the state.
“Kaduna is defined by North and South just like Nigeria is divided along North and South.
“If you go to some Local Governments in the northern part of the state, you discover that they have more appointees.
“In the southern part of the state, some Local Governments have no appointees”, he said.
He further accused the governor of alleged lopsided execution of development projects.
He said, “In terms of spread of development projects there is nothing.
At the federal level the story is the same. How can Nigeria move forward when there is no fairness and equity”.
