BY MAYOWA SAMUEL
The Gombe State Urban Planning Development Authority says it has cogent legally backed reasons for Tuesday afternoon’s demolish of the campaign office of the People’s Democratic Party in the State capital.
The Executive Chairman of GOSUPDA, Group Captain Bitrus Bilal (Rtd) stated this in an address to newsmen shortly after supervising the demolition of the building situated opposite the Presidential Lodge in GRA Gombe.
According to Bilal, government’s action was not politically motivated, but reclamation of the distorted master plan of the state capital.
He said, the demolition of the illegal structure belonging to the Gombe Good Leadership Association was carried out in the spirit of the ongoing reclamation of the development master plan of Gombe and maintaining the prevailing peace and tranquility the state enjoys.
He explained further that the unauthorised structure, which is sited directly opposite the Presidential Lodge, contravenes the laws of the land and is capable of compromising the prevailing peace and tranquility the state enjoys.
He said the unauthorized structure was clandestinely converted into a campaign office of the PDP by its governorship candidate, Mohammed Jibrin Barde.
Bilal said, “The demolition exercise became necessary because the building in question not only contravened some sections of the land use act Decree of 1978, urban and regional planning and development board law of 2001 and other development laws of the state but has turned into a buzzing political arena.
“It is also in a location directly opposite the Presidential Lodge within the Government House vicinity, an area clearly marked for residential and Government offices. Such is capable of compromising security if allowed to operate as a political party office,” he maintained.
Bilal also recalled, “On the 29th of December 2021, an organisation, Gombe Good Leadership Association applied and secured an approval for the erection of a temporary structure for the conduct of its affairs but that activities at the site took a different turn when the State Urban Planning Development Authority noticed the construction of a permanent building in contravention to the earlier approval.”
“The authority in several notices, had asked the Association to come forward to regularize their documents but they didn’t,” he added.
Bilal said that the Authority in the discharge of its statutory responsibilities as enshrined in section 27 of the Gombe State Urban Planning and Development 2011 approached the construction site and served it with stop and demolition notices.
He said despite a partial demolition of the structure to allow owners of the building do a controlled demolition, illegal construction work continued through the erection of billboards belonging to the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the state which was an indication that the site has been converted to a party office.
The Executive Chairman of GOSUPDA maintained that the administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya is committed to the entrenchment of law and order in the State and will not fold its hands and watch the actions of individuals or groups that are capable of disturbing the peace of the State.
