By: Umar Hayatudeen
As the 2023 general elections are fast approaching, especially with the lifting of the embargo on the national campaigns to be followed by state campaigns on October 12, 2022, by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, political permutations have intently began with parties and their candidates forecasting for the campaigns and elections.
It’s certain that any political party or candidate that fails to plan would nose-dive at the end of the ballot game. Consequently, while some are overtly busy planning and working towards winning at the poll, others seem to be either not ready for the elections or are psychologically defeated even before the elections.
In Adamawa state, while the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is battle ready, the crisis embedded All Progressives Congress (APC) seems to be plummeting from one crisis to another, exasperating the party’s chances of making any impact in the election, especially facing the ever ready Governor Umaru Fintiri, who has long ago, particularly during the last local government election, publicly and unequivocally held that there was no APC in Adamawa state.
In fact, the party started in bad light as during its governorship primary election, some supporters of the proclaimed winner of the primary, Senator Aishatu Binani, were detained by security agencies for alleged vote buying. Thus, their image holding stashed cash went viral on both the print and online media while on the social media platforms, it was the most trending story. It was the embryonic stage of the compounded APC’S political snags in the state.
The backlash of the primaries started to pop up with one of the aspirants, former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, approaching the Federal High Court in Yola for alleged over-voting, praying the court to upturn Binani’s victory. For APC and Binani, until the court rules otherwise, this legal morass is something to worry about and it’s a major plague for the party.
In another gloomy twist for the party, the internal crisis swinging the state chapter of the APC, recently consumed the chairman, Ibrahim Bilal, when he tendered a letter of resignation from his position with immediate effect. His resignation came amidst disagreement between him and the state working committee of the party.
In what appears to be unending woes for the Adamawa APC, former Vice President of Nigeria and PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, recently led chieftains of the PDP, including former Vice President Namadi Sambo, the vice presidential candidate and governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa; Governor Umaru Fintiri and National Chairman of PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, to receive over 160,000 decampees into the PDP.
Hearing from the horse’s mouth, while speaking on behalf of the supporters and decampees in various electoral wards across the state, Hon. Shuaibu Babbbas, a member of the Adamawa State House of Assembly from Fufore Gurin constituency, affirmed their loyalty and commitment to the PDP in its quest to oust the APC and fix the broken state of the country’s socio-economic and political fabrics.
APC’s still tumbling and stockpiling problems, the party recently expelled Senator Elisha Abbo, presently representing Adamawa North in the Senate, for rejecting same faith ticket and supporting the move to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari. How could a party expel a serving senator and flag bearer months to the general elections and hope to win? APC is doomed as elections approach.
While APC compounds its self-inflicted problems, Governor Fintiri is on the cross, ready for the battle and the people of Adamawa state are also guaranteeing him of their support because of the unprecedented and remarkable feats he has achieved in less than four years of his administration. In 2019, Fintiri won overwhelmingly against the power of incumbency, conquering Bindo Jibrilla, cutting short his journey to the government house for the second time and winning the 2023 election particularly with is sterling record of transforming the state in virtually all facets of development.
The truth is, the APC knew it was fighting a lost battle because in fairness, Binani against Fintiri in a conservative Adamawa state that has especially experienced a new lease of life under the latter is not a fair contest. She came at the wrong time both in terms of cultural readiness for female leadership in conservative Arewa and, the excellent showing of a governor that has changed the fortunes of Adamawa state for good, since ousting erstwhile APC incumbent governor, Bindow Jibrilla, in 2019.
Indeed, you can’t desire development for Adamawa and not appreciate Governor Fintiri’s doggedness and audacity and persistence. Where others delivered lamentations and inertia, he has brought succour and seems poised to keep going strong. Certainly, when proper campaigns begin this week, Binani and the APC would vanish and fizzle out of the political scene by the crowded and swarming Fintiri’s train that heads to the government house for the second term.
Hayatudeen writes from Yola, Adamawa state.
