Ali Pate not grassroots politician, APC youth group declare

<p>Former Minister of State, Health, Prof. Ali Pate, has been described as a non-grassroots politician whose membership in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State does not add any value to the party.</p>, <p>The assertion was made by a pro-All Progressives Congress (APC) youth group under the auspices of the ‘APC Youths Awareness Forum,’ which has opposed a purported plan to nominate the former governorship aspirant of the party in the state as a Minister in the government of President Bola Tinubu.</p>, <p>Chairman and Secretary of the Bauchi State chapter of the Forum, Balarabe Mustapha Zadawa and Simon Elizabeth Godiya, issued a press release to journalists on Sunday, alleging that Ali Pate is not a grassroots politician and opining that his nomination would not add value to the party.</p>, <p>They accused the former governorship aspirant of deserting the state and party members since losing the primary elections.</p>, <p>According to them, Ali Pate contested for the governorship seat of Bauchi state in 2019, and after being defeated, he left the state and never returned until the next election in 2023 when he also lost the APC primaries.</p>, <p>The statement read, “Recently, we observed that the world’s richest businessman, Mr Bill Gates, had brought Ali Pate to Mr President, probably for an appointment as Minister in the nation. We don’t think that the ministerial seat is for sale or a commodity to be bought.”</p>, <p>“A lot of events, including political and others such as weddings, funerals, and what have you, would take place in Bauchi state, but Dr. Ali Pate would never be seen coming to rejoice or sympathise with the people, despite being a politician in the state,” the statement further contained.</p>, <p>The Forum stressed that “So, he is not a grassroots politician, and we believe that the seat of a minister should be given to down-to-earth politicians who will represent the people in the government and represent the government in their communities by extending hands of friendship