Paul Orude, Bauchi

A former federal legislator, Honourable Aliyu Ibrahim Gebi, who represented Bauchi Local Government in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015, has said that the publication of the list of alleged treasury looters by the Federal Government of Nigeria was a welcome development.

Gebi, who is among over 20 others currently jostling for the seat of Bauchi South Senatorial District which became vacant following the sudden demise of Senator Ali Wakili, said it was one of the promises made by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during their campaigns in 2015.

The former lawmaker, who was elected on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in 2011, recalled that the APC had promised to name names to shame alleged looters to fight corruption.

“Look, If I was in parliament I would move motion after motion. We expect nothing less than that from President Muhammadu Buhari. Their names must be published. What if I allowed my daughter to go and marry a thief,” Gebi said.

“There are thieves around us, so they need to publish their names. Name and shame. This is what APC says it will do and APC must fulfil its campaign promise; that is what Buhari is known for. He makes a promise, he delivers. So let him not allow some unsavoury characters to smear his name. If truly they have collected these monies they looted, their names should be published even if it is Aliyu Gebi,” he politician said.

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Gebi, however, expressed worry that the APC has fulfilled to meet the aspirations of the electorate in Bauchi State.

“We are falling short, even below the little we were able to achieve when we were in CPC. It is as if the end result was to get President Muhammadu Buhari elected, and President Buhari is just one person and he cannot come to Bauchi and fulfil the aspirations of the citizens of Bauchi; that is left for the people elected to represent them. But we have fallen short of the expectations and yearnings of the people as far as I am concerned, and it is really unfortunate”

The politician said he decided to take a shot at the Senate because he made many mistakes when he was first elected in 2011.

“I made lots of mistakes in my first coming because that was my first foray into politics, but now, by God’s grace, if I am given the chance to go to the Senate, I am going back as a cognate member. I can aspire to even be the Senate President,” Gebi said.

“So when I go to the Senate, my first goal is to be Chairman, Committee on Interior, because I know what is in Interior – all the jobs that are in Interior and how to get our children jobs in the Interior,” he said.