From Joseph Asegba, Yola
Political appointment in the Guyuk local government area of Adamawa state is threatening over the alleged ethnic and religious exclusion of a large section of the citizens by the executive chairman of the council, Mr. Shalom D. Kassah.
Immediately after a crucial meeting, a group under the umbrella of Guyuk Concerned Citizens in an SOS said the action of the chairman instead of driving an aspiration of governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri for ensuring all-inclusive governance reversed is the case.
In a statement by the group spokesman, Samson Caleb made available indicated that brewing and pent-up tension is building in the area as a result of the action of the chairman calling on governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to step in and prevent a looming crisis.
Samson says, “This area has become a flash point of ethnic and religious conflagration in the past due to self-centre-deaders who uphold exclusion as a cardinal principle.
“We thought the incumbent chairman would take a queue from Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s policy of inclusive governance by carrying all shades of people along regardless of their ethnic and religious colouration.
“Since he saddled the reins of authority, Fintiri’s watchword is fairness, inclusion and equity; that is why he ensured that women, youth and other vulnerable groups are given high stakes both at the state and local government levels, he added.
He further said, “We expect the chairmen to follow suit. But unfortunately, in Guyuk local government, the reverse is the case. The chairman has taken it upon himself to exclude a large section of the people from his government based on their ethnicity and religious affiliation”.
It is unfair to state that “It is incumbent to state here that all the ten elected councillors were from the same faith and ethnicity, the five Supervisory Councilors came from the same faith and religious background.
“This is in addition to the fact that the executive chairman, vice chairman, secretary and chief of staff all came from the same religion and ethnic stock”.
It is in this vein that the spokesman calls on the chairman not to create what will lead to heightened anger and anxiety that will envelop tension in the area.
“It is incumbent to state that in Guyuk local government, the population of Muslims is around 40 per cent while other ethnic nationalities constitute more than 60 per cent of the population, yet the chairman only appoints men and women from his religion and ethnic group despite the plural nature of the polity.
“Despite the fact that Purokayo, Bobini and Bodeno wards are the exclusive domains of Muslims and Hausa/Fulani ethnic stock, the politics of exclusion has ensured that only Lunguda Christians emerged as the councillors of the three wards.
“We wish to register our profound and unequivocal concern over the development, we also call on our governor to save the situation and avert a looming anarchy and disorder as a result of the untoward and totally unacceptable action of the chairman,” Caleb added.
While dismissing the allegations as the handwork of mischief makers, the chairman, Shalon Kassah, in an interview, said he has included Muslims and other ethnic nationalities in his cabinet.
“I’m shocked by this blatant lie. Let me tell you that the said allegation is the handwork of idle-minded mischief makers who want to distract me from performing my duties of providing dividends of democracy to my people.
“To set the record straight, I have appointed two Muslims in my cabinet; one of them, Abdullahi Gambo, is an Adviser, while I appointed the other, Alisko Aliyu, as a supervisory councillor.
Mr Calep said, “I even appointed an Igbo man in my cabinet. In the history of Guyuk local government, I’m the first chairman to appoint a Muslim as an adviser. So disregard the allegation as the handwork of the enemies of the local government.”
