As the 2027 election cycle approaches, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Ali Pate, has disclosed that he will be ready to serve the Bauchi people, but said he’s currently preoccupied with delivering on the mandate given him by President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking on TVC, the minister noted that there was the need for all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to move in one direction if the plan to displace the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state will come to fruition.

“I think we are very closely connected with the grassroots in the state. And I think the issues facing the state are very clear. But it will not come to be if the party is not united. And my singular focus is to unify APC in Bauchi, to support the president to achieve what he is trying to achieve now, and also what comes off in 2027.

“Now, as to what happens at the state level, and I hope that the state stakeholders will align so that we have a successful alignment between the president’s success and also what happens at the subnational level.

“So yes, over time, over the next several months, we’ll see where it lands. I’m ready to serve, but it’s also with a mission to develop the state, but also to develop our country,” he said, when pressed on whether he’s interested in contesting for the governorship seat in 2027.

But pending when that decision is made in conjunction with all stakeholders, the minister stated that he’s currently focused primarily on delivering the job given him by Tinubu, noting that when the time comes, the plan will be made public.

“The stakeholders in Bauchi right now are working towards unifying the party so that we have a strong platform at all levels that we can deliver for the president, deliver for the party, and deliver ultimately for the state,” Pate added.

The political atmosphere in Bauchi state has recently become charged after a war of words in the press between the State Governor, Bala Mohammed, and Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar.

The governor has been critical of the Tinubu administration lately, especially in the ongoing debate on tax reform bills currently before the National Assembly. However Tuggar recently hit back at the governor, accusing him of promoting North-South divide. It’s unclear if Tuggar is also interested in becoming governor in 2027.

Describing Bauchi as a progressive state, Pate stated that unfortunately, in the past, rancour among the political elite, tended to undermine the progress of the state, explaining that his approach is to move away from those seeming altercations.

“My focus is to ensure that we’re unified, that we have a strong platform, that politically, the progressive ideology essentially results in that being translated into political victory for the party in 2027. That’s what we’re working towards day in, day out. And we’re focused on delivering at the national level on the task that the president has granted to us, which we are doing and will continue to do.

“The time for other issues will come, but for now, our focus is really to deliver for the president, deliver for the country, and unify our party in Bauchi,” Pate noted.

On his relationship with the governor, the minister said just like others, it remains cordial, explaining that there’s nothing to gain from personal animosities.

“I have a very good relationship with all my colleagues, and that’s something that I cherish and I also work on because it’s not personal. In whatever position you find yourself, you do the best that you can.

“ The governor was at some point in the ANPP (All Nigeria Peoples Party) where he served as a senator, and who knows what tomorrow might be? He might leave PDP for APC. So for me, it’s really focusing on development, on delivering on the mandate that we currently have, but also for Bauchi, which will translate into development for the people of Bauchi State.

“So it’s not about personal animosities and other parochial things. That’s not my style. My focus is really to see what we can do to build, not to really divide the polity in Bauchi,” he maintained.