Bobai, Jisalo’s former aide, seeks to replace late Rep. Ekene

Mr. Francis Bobai, former Special Assistant to Special Duties Minister Joseph Jisalo when he was Abuja Municipal Area Council’s Chairman, has declared interest in the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency seat.

The seat became vacant following the demise of Mr. Adams Ekene in July.

Ekene had won the election on the ticket of the Labour Party (LP), flooring PDP’s Yakubu Barde, who had occupied the seat for 20 years.

Ekene, widely believed to have achieved much within the one year that he served, died after a brief sickness.

Bobai, who is seeking the ticket of late Ekene’s party, the LP, to take his place, told the newsmen in Kaduna on Monday that he had a big advantage over his rivals both in and outside the LP.

“I believe I am the viable candidate. I can deliver.

“We worked closely with Ekene, so, when we lost him, some youth and elders’ groups pleaded with me to contest the seat so as to sustain his many legacies. We shared our dreams of service to the nation together.”

Bobai, a former teacher, real estate dealer, and philanthropist, said he had given a lot in the area of sports, support for religious bodies, and care for the youth and elderly.

He identified the concerns of the constituents to include lack of development and insecurity.

He said that his focus is the empowerment of the youths to make them self-reliant, take them off the streets, and make them assets to society.

“I have been empoweringmany youths and even empowered 100 women to start off businesses that are flourishing.

“I am doing this on my own. I intend to do much more if elected to serve the people,” he said.

Bobai said that the LP had a wide acceptance because the people had tried both the APC and PDP and were disappointed year after year.

“The Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency seat, for instance, has been occupied by Yakubu Barde of the PDP for 20 years, but the people did not see any impact.

“But, in his few months at the National Assembly, Ekene did so much, and that is what is helping us as a party.”

He listed Ekene’s projects to include solar light projects, school construction, and the provision of electricity transformers to the constituents.

“So, generally, the people empathise with the LP for such a massive loss and want to vote for whoever the party presents,” he said.

He said that some of his rivals for the LP ticket were being sponsored by opponents to ensure the right candidate did not pick up the ticket.

“Apparently, they want to weaken the LP and destroy the opposition, but we won’t allow that,” he said.

He cautioned the APC against seeking to use money to buy votes and influence officials, declaring that the youth would resist that.

“The youths know these antics and are ready to protect votes the way they did for Ekene.

“The factors that worked for Ekene will favour me even more.

“The APC and PDP—no one likes them. They could try to use underhand tactics, but those games are already known and shall be stiffly resisted,” he said.

Bobai emphasised the need to empower the youths to make them self-reliant, take them off the streets, and make them assets to society.

“Only the LP can do that. We do not want another political party to come and destroy the scorecard and legacies we are building for the people and society,” he said.

He also stressed the need to support the LP to complete Ekene’s tenure, “especially when it has been widely acknowledged that he performed excellently.”.

The aspirant listed five areas he said would be his focus, with the completion of projects Ekene started as the prime agenda.

Other areas included youth empowerment and support for the elderly, especially witha monthly stipend for food and medicine.

He also promised to support the farming population with fertiliser and provide micro-scheme loans for the women.

Bobai said he would partner with the Kaduna State Government to provide security, especially for vulnerable persons that had become victims of attacks.

He expressed confidencethat he would pick the LP ticket and win the secondary election in view of his general acceptance in the community where he was born 45 years ago.