Adamawa By-election: New Twists Ahead Of PDP Ticket — Aug 20, 2014 The political firmament of Adamawa State Chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may not be the same again following two unusual developments which took place in quick successions. MOHAMMED ISMAIL reports that these have tilted the wobbling political equation of the party in the state. The acting Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri alongside former boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have in the wake of the announcement of the October 9th Gubernatorial election, picked nomination forms of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to participate in the forth-coming by-election. Before Ribadu finally threw his hat into the ring, race, the state was been awash with speculations that the Presidency may have settled for the former anti-corruption czar to fly the flag of the party in the election which is expected to install a successor to former governor Murtala Nyako who was impeached by the state legislature. Before he picked the form many political analysts in the state had dismissed the speculations about the likelihood of Ribadu jettisoning the party, the All Progressives Congress(APC) he worked assiduously to build and on whose back he rode to the presidential contest in the 2011 general election where he lost to the incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan. Their assumptions may have been predicated on the fact that Ribadu had variously described his new-found love, PDP, the most corrupt political party in Africa. Ribadu appears unstoppable though, his move to join the PDP gubernatorial race was received by some PDP stalwarts with a pinch of salt as many believe that it was a re-enactment of the 2007 episode where Governor Nyako was single- handedly picked by former President Olusegun Obasanjo against nine other aspirants who have been in the jostle for the PDP ticket. To this school of thought belongs one of the PDP aspirants Markus Nathina Gundiri who said the choice of Ribadu to govern the state was an evil machination of few individuals to ensure that the inglorious reign of former governor Murtala Nyako in power continues. Similarly, another PDP stalwart and gubernatorial hopeful in the state Hon. Awwal Tukur has in the wake of media reports which suggested that he has jettisoned his ambition in favour of Ribadu’s categorically denied such development and even put a caveat that under no circumstance should the party repeat the mistake of imposing candidates on others saying that they will vehemently resist any such move. He said the party should not repeat the mistake of 2007 where no governorship primary was conducted in Adamawa State with Nyako being foisted on the people as the party’s flag bearer. He warned that such mistake will not augur well for the stability of the PDP in the state. “I don’t think people are willing to accept imposition anymore, whether in Adamawa or any part of the country as people are now wiser than before. “The party has burnt its fingers in many parts of the country. We have been patient enough, but our patience should not be taken for granted,” he said. He said at no point in time he disclosed to anyone that he has relinquished his ambition to Nuhu Ribadu wondering how mischievous and fictitious publications get their ways into newspapers without recourse to the basic tenets of check and balance enshrined in Journalism. Tukur added he did not see why he would surrender his ambition to someone that is in another political party adding that as far as he was concerned, Ribudu is still a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that it was ridiculous for anyone to assume that a PDP aspirant will relinquish his ambition to another aspirant in opposition party. “The long and short is that I have not withdrawn from the gubernatorial race. I intend to declare my intention to contest the gubernatorial race at the appropriate time. “Everyone can aspire for the gubernatorial seat and we welcome them. When I drop my ambition for Nyako in 2011 I came here to announce it,” he said. But Ribadu’s decision to dump the APC, according to a source close to him may not be unconnected with what he called the party’s lack of concern for its members it times of trouble. The source who pleaded anonymity said Ribadu was shocked when the APC stalwarts at the state and national level failed to save Nyako in the wake of the impeachment move against the former governor even as all efforts to rally the support of the APC stalwarts to save Nyako proved abortive. Thee source also said, in the 2011 Presidential race in which Ribadu contested on the platform of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) (now an integral part of APC) against President Goodluck Jonathan, the party ditched him in favour of President Jonathan. The source further disclosed that already Ribadu has lost confidence in the party as a result of which he accepted the overtures of the PDP which is another alternative platform to realise his ambition. As if the incursion of Ribadu into the PDP was not enough storm for the party to whether, the acting Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri also went to the party secretariat to pick the gubernatorial ticket. The development has added to the frenzy and mistrust in the party as many said the decision by Adamawa state Acting Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to aspire for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ticket for governorship by-election was morally wrong. Speculations were ripe in the state that with the new development, the party may lose some of its members to other opposition political platforms as some aspirants are jittery that the party primary may be tailored towards producing the acting governor as the next candidate of the party. Former adviser on political affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan Ahmed Gulak in a telephone interview said it was morally wrong for the acting governor to contest the election saying that his role is that of an overseer of the conduct of a free and fair election in the state. “The acting Governor has no moral justification to contest the polls; he ought to act as an impartial umpire to monitor and conduct a free and fair election. It’s on that note that I call on all the aspirants to make it known that all we need is a level playing ground and equal opportunity,’’ he said. Gulak said the aspiration of the acting governor was a clear move to use his advantaged position over other candidates adding “Fintiri is desperate; many thought that he will justify the confidence reposed in him by being neutral and imperial, only to turn and show his interest,”. Also reacting a Yola-based lawyer, Sunday Joshua Wugira, said it is morally wrong for the acting Governor to join the race because it would amount to holding two positions of being the speaker and the acting governor at the same time. Wugira said if the acting governor should contest, he must resign his position; “he has every right to contest as an indigene of the state, but the move is morally reprehensive and the issue is for him to put two things together by resigning, as the speaker of the state House of Assembly which gave him the enabling status to become acting governor and at the same time trying to become the substantive governor. ‘’Although the constitution is silent about it we believe that it is not morally right. If he want to contest, he should resign as acting governor and go to the contest,’’ he said. But Ribadu who picked the governorship form on Monday has distanced himself from insinuations that he was to be imposed as Adamawa governor by President Goodluck Jonathan. Ribadu who picked the expression of interest and nomination forms through an aide, Alhaji Hamidu Mahmoud at the PDP national secretariat, also disclosed that he had applied to the PDP national leadership to waive section 50 of its constitution to allow him contest the party’s primary election. Mahmoud who said he has the mandate to speak for Ribadu said “We are not aware that the President wants to impose Ribadu as governor of Adamawa State. It was some PDP chieftains who called on Ribadu to come and contest for the governorship of Adamawa. So, the question of the President wanting Ribadu does not arise in this case.” He however allayed the fears of his supporters that the controversial waiver could impede his chances ahead of the contest saying the “PDP constitution did not insert the waiver clause in anticipation that Ribadu will join the party, having joined the race, he is expected to enjoy the waiver”. Even though Senator Abubakar Girei, Engineer Markus Gundiri, Gulak, Mohammed Buba Marwa, Awwal Tukur and a few others have picked the form of intent, the most intriguing thrust of the race remains the interests of both Ribadu and Fintiri whose ambitions have subtly torn the leadership of the PDP, both at the state and the national levels along lines of interests.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 06:09:55 +0000
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