‘Lalong should treat Plateau people fairly’

Former Deputy Speaker of Plateau State House of Assembly, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, is one of the newly elected House of Representatives members In this interview, with Yusuf Idegu he calls on the governor to concentrate in providing good governance to Plateau people.

ANOTHER election has come and gone, what is your personal assessment of the 2019 elections in Plateau State?

Plateau staged the most peaceful elections in the country and that makes me proud to be a Plateau man. There was the presidential election, then the governorship election, the supplementary election. They all went peacefully in my state compared to what happened in other states. We had the most peaceful campaigns; there was no case of party supporters clashing. I feel good as a Plateau man because I noticed our maturity in the game of politics has improved greatly. It is my earnest prayer it remains so.

You were removed as Deputy Speaker of Plateau State House of Assembly and today you are now House of Representatives member-elect, what will you have to say on that?

That is God at work. But basically, my removal from the position of Deputy Speaker in 2018 was not based on allegation of fraud or misappropriation, if it were based on fraud or official corruption; I would not have had the gut or courage to contest for House of Representatives. But God has his own way of doing things. I can only be grateful to God for what he has been doing in my life.

Your closest rival, the PDP candidate, is heading to the tribunal to contest your victory, are you ready to defend your victory at the courts?

If winning election is based on the strength of campaign, then I deserved to win, and I won because the voters gave me more votes than he got. I am not scared of the tribunal, in any case, victory at the tribunal is never given to the petitioner just because you submitted petitions; you have to come to the tribunal to defend your petition on its merit. I know I did not participate in election rigging; I defeated the incumbent because in all honesty I did more campaign than he did. I have gone

round the 36 federal wards in my constituency 4 times. I put more commitments into the campaign than he did. And while I went round campaigning, I prayed to Almighty Allah that among the two of us contesting, God should give victory to whoever that will serve the people better; that if I’m not the best for the people, God should decide, but if I’m the best of the two, God let me be. This is an election that was decided by God through the people’s votes. I made up my mind to congratulate him if he is the winner, and I expect him to do congratulate me now that I am the winner, but if he chooses to go to the tribunal to challenge my victory, we shall meet at the tribunal; I wish him good luck.

The person you are going to take over from did just one term and could make it to the second term, what did you think he failed to do that you are going to do to break the record?

My constituency comprises of three local government areas; Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam. Somebody from Pankshin spent eight years in the National Assembly, Kanke also spent eight years in that capacity, only Kanam spent four years; that was the formula that gave me better chance than Golu. So, the people said, Kanam deserved to serve another term to complete their own eight years Iike the other two local governments. That was the reason I contested. But at the end of my tenure, any of these three local governments can start a fresh turn. If I served the people well, they might ask me to commence the zoning arrangement, it is all for the people to decide. My objective is to be the best National Assembly member in the history of Plateau State, and if I accomplish that wish, then 2023 will be very interesting.

Over the years, you must have watched the activities of the House of Representatives, as a politician, what is that thing that members of the Green Chambers have failed to do that you have in mind to do?

The former and present House of Representatives members may have done their best, but one thing they keep doing that limits them from that which benefits the people that sent them there is misrepresentation. Most of them are first timers and so there are some natural factors that will not make them serve their people’s interest. Primarily they are there to represent the people, but as soon as they enter there, each member will be struggling to own a House in Abuja, buy the best car money can buy and they begin to think of personal security. After that, they will want to own the biggest house in their constituency. By the time you achieve all these personal projects, four years is gone and you start to ask them to give you second term, claiming that one term is not enough to serve them. At the risk of sounding immodest, I will not embark on those personal projects because already I have the best cars I desire; I have choice houses in my village, my state and in Abuja. So I’m going straight into doing what my people need. The interest of my people is number one project; I’m going to make a remarkable difference, I don’t have any excuse to give my people if I fail them. Some members will tell their people, I have not settled down because of the tribunal thing, I’m not going to give such excuse. I have all it takes to pay my lawyers without waiting for constituency allowances to pay my lawyers. I have told myself that it will be an act of wickedness to my people if I begin to give them excuses instead of working for them. I’m going to move with speed because I’m not new to legislative work. I have done that at the state level as Chief Whip and Deputy Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly. I may be new at the National Assembly, but I’m not new in the work of legislation. My own is going to be entirely different from the rest. I have served my people. As a state lawmaker, they knew what I did and that is why they want me to come to the national level to replicate it, and I’ve assured them I will not let them down. While I was serving my people at the state level, someone else was representing us at the House of Representatives in Abuja, but I’m sure the people of my constituency noticed I must have performed satisfactorily to accept me as a better alternative to the person representing us. And if the people can elevate me in that manner, based on my capacity to deliver, I will be so wicked to begin to look for excuses to give them instead of services. I am not going to the National Assembly to please Mr. President, or my state governor or my party; I am going to please my people. I am going to be loyal to my party and national leaders, but not to the level of compromising the interest of my people.

to think of personal security. After that, they will want to own the biggest house in their constituency. By the time you achieve all these personal projects, four years is gone and you start to ask them to give you second term, claiming that one term is not enough to serve them. At the risk of sounding immodest, I will not embark on those personal projects because already I have the best cars I desire; I have choice houses in my village, my state and in Abuja. So I’m going straight into doing what my people need. The interest of my people is number one project; I’m going to make a remarkable difference, I don’t have any excuse to give my people if I fail them. Some members will tell their people, I have not settled down because of the tribunal thing, I’m not going to give such excuse. I have all it takes to pay my lawyers without waiting for constituency allowances to pay my lawyers. I have told myself that it will be an act of wickedness to my people if I begin to give them excuses instead of working for them. I’m going to move with speed because I’m not new to legislative work. I have done that at the state level as Chief Whip and Deputy Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly. I may be new at the National Assembly, but I’m not new in the work of legislation. My own is going to be entirely different from the rest. I have served my people. As a state lawmaker, they knew what I did and that is why they want me to come to the national level to replicate it, and I’ve assured them I will not let them down. While I was serving my people at the state level, someone else was representing us at the House of Representatives in Abuja, but I’m sure the people of my constituency noticed I must have performed satisfactorily to accept me as a better alternative to the person representing us. And if the people can elevate me in that manner, based on my capacity to deliver, I will be so wicked to begin to look for excuses to give them instead of services. I am not going to the National Assembly to please Mr. President, or my state governor or my party; I am going to please my people. I am going to be loyal to my party and national leaders, but not to the level of compromising the interest of my people because I’m not new to legislative work. I have done that at the state level as Chief Whip and Deputy Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly. I may be new at the National Assembly, but I’m not new in the work of legislation. My own is going to be entirely different from the rest. I have served my people. As a state lawmaker, they knew what I did and that is why they want me to come to the national level to replicate it, and I’ve assured them I will not let them down. While I was serving my people at the state level, someone else was representing us at the House of Representatives in Abuja, but I’m sure the people of my constituency noticed I must have performed satisfactorily to accept me as a better alternative to the person representing us. And if the people can elevate me in that manner, based on my capacity to deliver, I will be so wicked to begin to look for excuses to give them instead of services. I am not going to the National Assembly to please Mr. President, or my state governor or my party; I am going to please my people. I am going to be loyal to my party and national leaders, but not to the level of compromising the interest of my people.