Senator Nyako’s return to APC raises hope in Adamawa politics

BY Chris Alu

Permutations have since began for the 2023 gubernatorial, senatorial and other elective positions in Adamawa, following the gale of defection in the state. Those that recently decamped were Senator Elisha Abbo (PDP), Emmanuel Bello (SDP), Senator Abdul-Aziz Murtala Nyako (ADC), who came third in the 2019 Governorship race, former Governors Bala Ngilari among others, all moved to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The situation happened within a spate of three to six months which gave rise and hope for a new political dawn and calculation with a direction for the 2023 elections in Adamawa.

Lest we forgot, those that decamped are rooted politicians who at one point or the other occupied elective and sensitive political positions in the state and at federal levels, meaning that they are not push over politicians, but people with integrity and capacity to determine and change situation of things at one point or the other. Their coming together will certainly and no doubt make the day for the good of the state as such, nobody need to tell the ruling party PDP that a vibrant and formidable force is in the formative to take over power come 2023. With this, the PDP’s heart must have been pounding and no doubt frailty as the sleep turning up pillows side ways at night.

The sudden wave of dramatic change came in with an upward swing for APC to be strong in the state and has made it gather more momentum to fight back in the coming elections in the state, with an indication that the PDP Government under Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri would be short-lived as his days in Dugeri house will start counting….

Political pundit averred that the recent state of decamping that came so sudden as if it was planned in the state would have been averted by the Governor if he had timely controlled the situation by resolving issues amicably. For instance some of those that decamped never had intensions to do it, only that they were push to the wall because the situation became unbearable and they did it with hope of sending signal to the Governor for him to know they have the capacity to make and take decisions on their own.

A politician, who preferred not to be mentioned, stated that Gov. Fintiri failed to provide a level playing ground for most of those that decamped in the PDP and that will cause his downfall. He also said that some of his kitchen cabinet members are deceiving him by giving him wrong advice so that he can fall. Like the case of Senator Elisha Abbo who decamped with lots of followers gave reasons that the Governor was high headed on some issues that he would have understand simply with him, saying the tussle between him and the Governor would have ended peacefully but there was no room for him to justify his innocence after making several attempt to resolved the issues with the Governor, but failed to give him a listening ear thereby leading to his defection to APC. Any elected Senator representing his people would like to partake in any decision within his jurisdiction and also need to be consulted and failure to do that will amount to disrespect and making him loss his privileges and powers for the same people that voted him to represent them.

Senator Abbo in his statement said he was never giving the privilege to partake in decisions taken in the state and that he was even denied the right to participate in the local government elections conducted in the state. The Governor’s men hijacked everything, according to a source in the state.

The source also stated that Fintiri who came after the two political titans fought for power of supremacy would have carried everyone along in his first tenure. Former Governor Jibrilla Bindow and Senator Nyako were at logger heads in APC over shoddy primary elections in preparatory to the build up of the 2019 elections is the state. Nyako who wanted transparency in the primaries was in contrary view to Governor Bindow which led to his defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the wake of the elections in Adamawa.

According to source, the primary election was to skim out some delegates who were in support of Senator Nyako, hence most of the delegates belonged to his camp. After several attempts to confront Governor Bindow failed, a situation that caused division in APC and at the end, Senator Nyako decamped to ADC and that caused the downfall of APC in the state.

History is about repeating itself as the same scenario that happened between Senator Nyako and Governor Bindow is about to happen between Senator Abbo and Governor Fintiri. The forces put together to fight the ruling party in the state, is a clear indication that PDP will be defeated except the Governor does something extraordinary. But how will he do it is the big question one has to ask.

A source from those that decamped averred that Governor Fintiri miscalculated in the first place by not correcting some of the mistakes at the beginning. Shortly after he was sworn in, a division cropped up in the PDP between the camp of Dr. Umar Ardo and others where they formed and inaugurated a separate camp in the PDP and were to run a parallel party in the state under PDP. The Governor did not come in quickly to quell the crises, then came Senator Elisha Abbo’s issue and the rest which the source blame the Governor for untimely interventions. He said that the situation had gone worst and within a short time Senator Abbo decamped to APC.

In the case of Senator Abdul-Aziz Nyako it was crystal clear that his party ADC gave PDP victory in the state because the party divided APC votes in the governorship election and that gave PDP an easy ride to victory, which Governor Fintiri would have drawn him and his party officials close by giving them slots in his government, but he did not. We must not forget that when Fintiri won and was sworn in Senator Nyako and his party exco went to felicitate with him, they promised to support him to run an all-inclusive government that would benefit all class of people provided there would be peace in the state, that would have sent a message to Governor Fintiri to draw them closer by allocating some positions to them in his administration as government of state unity with that of SDP but he failed to do it. This he would have done by way of appreciating and acknowledging their visit and support for an all inclusive government in Adamawa.

Senator Nyako also paid him condolence visit when he lost his mother. All was a mark of support to Fintiri government. Rather than including ADC and SDP in his administration, rumours started flying round the air that contract to supply Toyota Hilux vehicles were awarded to Senator Nyako as a way of compensation to him. The news was a scheme targeted at Senator Nyako who wanted to seek and support Fintiri’s government. Senator Nyako then backed out as he sensed something fishy and an act of betrayer. His return to APC with his followers will certainly give hope to the party and make it bounce back again in a more stronger and effective way to win the coming elections in the state. Moreover, his association with former Governor Bindow, Ngilari , Senator Abbo, Emmanuel Bello and other political big wigs is a plus for APC to take over power from PDP led administration in 2023.

Political observers have already opined that what happened to Nyako and Bindow in the build up to the 2019 elections is about to happen to Fintiri in 2023 which will be a tough one and the umpires are ready with whistles to blow up. Although decamping from one political party to another has just began and most political parties will begin to witness such from now as we approach general elections, but one fact remains that change is imminent and it must come.

A PDP stakeholder when contacted about the decamping said that between now and 2023 elections, many who defected to APC may come back to PDP again because most of them would hit the rock and start running back, for that there is no cause for alarm. The same people that voted for PDP are very much on ground and with the Governor’s performance, coupled with the steady salaries paid as at when due, he will still win the coming elections . But one thing that is certain is that with the recent event that happened in the state, a direction has started forming with a clear indication that PDP will meet its waterloo in the coming elections which will be an interesting game for us to watch.