The Senator representing Yobe East in the Senate, Bukar Abba Ibrahim has announced his withdrawal from the race for senator in the 2019 elections for the state governor, Ibrahim Geidam.

Mr Abba, who is Yobe’s former governor, made the announcement today during a visit to Mr Gaidam at the Yobe Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro Abuja.
The senator said his decision to withdraw from the race is informed by his promise, which he made earlier, to never contest for the senate if and when Mr Gaidam declares his interest to contest.
He also said he will support the aspiration of the APC National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni for the governorship position of the state under the platform of the APC.

“In politics, you are bound to have disagreements. You cannot have everything moving perfectly well all the time. But it is always possible to sit back and look at how things are going and correct what needs to be corrected… I have been together with my brother, Governor Gaidam, for a very long time. These little issues will not in any way come between the two of us”, Mr Abba said.

The senator added: “I am thankful to Almighty God for His bounties. What I had is more than enough alhamdulillah. I was commissioner, governor three times and senator also three times. The only thing I never got so far politically is the president of Nigeria”.

Mr Abba pledged to work for what the Yobe APC stakeholders have agreed upon during a meeting in Damaturu two weeks ago with regards to the candidature of Mai Mala Buni, Mr Gaidam and others as spelled out by the governor recently.

He said his major interest is for the APC to continue to remain pre-eminent and in power in the state for years and years to come. “I do not want Yobe to go into any other hands other than the APC. I would forgo any political ambition for Yobe and for the APC. The interest of Yobe is number one for me,” he said.

Mr Abba also praised Mr Gaidam for his developmental strides, saying the governor has done commendably well in infrastructure and services in the state.

In his remarks, Mr Gaidam expressed his appreciation to Mr Abba for his decision to stand down for him. He said this goes to show that the senator, who has promised to do just that, is a man of his words.