By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
Senator Grace Folashade Bent has said that she has laid to rest the campaign of calumny set as a propaganda tool being engineered by her political opponents that there is an amended law in place which makes her ineligible to contest Adamawa Southern Senatorial Zone.
Bent who represented the zone from 2007 to 2011, described those spreading the lies as acting with crass ignorance of what section 42 of the Nigerian Constitution says.
According to her, those people preaching unfounded lies, claiming that there is a law standing against her ambition, are just conspiracy theorists, with their propaganda dead on arrival.
Bent said their claims are nothing but side talks of uncharitable, ignorant and selfish individuals, who are enemies of progress of the Southern Senatorial Zone.
She made the records straight on Sunday at Galaxy Hotel Conference Hall, Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State, while addressing a mammoth crowd which came to witness her formal declaration of interest to contest the Senate seat of the zone, under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Bent replied those she referred to as mischief makers that she is Adamawa’s bonafide daughter, by marriage, where she gave birth to her children and is blessed with grandchildren.
“Let them be bold enough to bring out that law and section or clause of our Nigerian Constitution or electoral law that forbids me from contesting.
“I sympathize with them over their crass ignorance and selfishness, whose sole aim is to confuse our teeming supporters who have vowed to stand with us through thick and thin.
“Let me use this medium to tell them that their conspiracy theory is dead on arrival, it certainly does not have any place in the Nigerian 1999 Constitution as amended,” Bent said.
While urging them to keep quiet, she referred them to section 42 of the 1999 Constitution as amended and she quoted that, “No citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to disability or deprivation merely because of the circumstances of her birth.”
She called on the mischief makers not to deprive the people of Adamawa South quality representation they hope for because of their mundane selfishness.
Bent in her declaration speech, recalled how she served the zone meritorious from 2007 to 2011 with the fear of God and changed the face of politics in the constituency, displaying what it means to bring true dividends of democracy down to the political grassroots of her constituency.
She told the APC stakeholders, delegates, supporters, and her loyalists that God enabling grace has helped her to the best of her ability, in bringing development to the land, coupled with a lot of human capacity building, with her legacies still visible on the ground and are incontrovertible.
She however, expressed worries that it is a very sad reality that her constituency she left very formidable 10 years ago has become a shadow of itself.
She was unhappy that her people became so heavily impoverished, disillusioned, ,helpless and have since returned to the days of penury and total retrogression.
“This deep mess, even the blind can feel, it’s so glaring.
“It’s on this note, that I have come before you all today, with a deep sense of respect and humility and the fear of God, with the integrity of my heart, to humbly declare my aspiration to contest yet again for the seat of the Senate, to represent Adamawa South Senatorial constituency in the National Assembly. So help me Jehovah God.” Bent declared
Goggo Grace as she is widely called by many to mean a mother, a pillar, and a supporter of the downtrodden anywhere she goes, said God has given her the go-ahead and clear mandate after she consulted well-meaning leaders across the nine local government areas, spoke to party leaders, party stalwarts that she should throw her hat once again into the political ring.
The gathering that brought together state party officials, LGA party leaders, ward executives and senior party members, aspirants, and her political loyalists within and outside the zone, attested that Bent is an achiever par excellence, who is tested and found trusted.
Alhaji Mijinyawa Hamisu, Demsa Local Government APC chairman in his opening remarks, said Goggo is a very knowledgeable and respected Nigerian politician.
He praised Bent for being a good leader all round, while a Senator, adding that her gesture of providing support to the constituents is second to none.
“What she was doing and what they are experiencing now, especially during Sallah and Christmas is cries of had I known because now they don’t even see a glimpse of it,” he pointed out
