The CPC and PDP governorship primaries in Adamawa state are now history, but its upshots are unexpectedly trailing the polity of the state and two forces have become the hallmark of the primaries. That is Nyako versus Buba Marwa on one side, and the issue of ethnicity, religion and geography on the other.
Governor Murtala Nyako last Monday picked the PDP governorship ticket after polling 854 of the total votes cast at the primary election, while his only challenger in the race, Dr Umaru Ardo earlier boycotted the election.
Ardo had described the whole process as a charade and vowed to challenge it in court. Following unresolved crisis in the state PDP, Ardo and other chieftains of the party, including ministers, shunned the party primaries conducted amidst tight security.
Sunday Trust findings are that only Governor Murtala Nyako and his loyalists besieged Lamido Cinema venue of the primaries. It was learnt that other chieftains like Sen. Jibril Aminu, Bamanga Tukur, Sen. Grace Bent, Sen. Muhammadu Man, former minister Aliyu Idi Hong, Hassan Adamu, among others, did not show up for the election while the party national Vice Chairman (North East), Sen. Paul Wampana left the venue mid-way.
Nyako’s emergence was not surprising to many, as even before the primaries the Kugama-led PDP executive in the state had announced that the governor was the only endorsed candidate of the party.
But the decision had generated misgivings among people in the state and disgruntled members of the party who insisted the move was undemocratic and a breach of the constitution of the party which enshrined conduct of free and fair primaries among contesting aspirants.
Kugama defended the move, saying, “I have read our Constitution from A-Z, the Electoral Act and as well as our party guidelines. The same people that voted for Nyako during the last primaries are the same people that voted him again; and to the best of my knowledge they have not changed their minds concerning Nyako, that is why we endorsed him.”
While Nyako and his supporters were busy strategizing and even scheming on how to defeat opponents, on the other hand his arch-rival Umar Ardo had, sequel to the primaries, alleged that Governor Nyako hijacked the ad-hoc delegates’ election and subsequently boycotted the governorship primary election, making the governor the lone contestant, a situation described by pundits as a ‘political shame’.
Ardo has since asked Abuja Federal High Court 3, presided over by Justice Adamu Bello, to dissolve the state EXCO of the party and make way for a fresh and genuine congress, and told reporters that he will not participate in a ‘charade and political fraud’.
On the eve of the primaries, according to a reliable source, the state governor had approached Ardo on the need to sheathe their swords and for Ardo to step down for him while the latter declined the offer.
And another source has revealed to Sunday Trust that already ANPP in the state has started wooing Dr Umar Ardo.
Though almost all the congresses of the PDP are just primaries of anointed candidates; pundits are of the opinion that all those who signalled their interest for governorship ticket are fly-by-night politicians who want to capitalize on political disagreements among leading contenders to achieve political goals.
THE MARWA, ARDO FACTORS
With political temperature of the state getting high for the scheduled January governorship elections, opposition groups in the state are coming together to challenge the PDP, which many believe is unfeasible.
Former PDP presidential aspirant and Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa, retired Brig. General Muhammadu Buba Marwa has emerged winner of the governorship primary election of the CPC, indicating that there will be battle of two military Generals.
Marwa was unanimously endorsed following a last-minute stepping down of his only challenger and former General Manager of Savannah Sugar Company, Alhaji Suleiman Abdullahi.
Abdullahi said he voluntarily stepped down for Marwa in the interest of peace and unity for the success of the party.
He also promised to work with the party flag bearer ahead of the scheduled January governorship election in the state.
Marwa of the CPC was believed to be the only aspirant among the array of governorship aspirants with an intimidating credential – an army general, a two-time military governor that performed excellently.
Marwa, through his campaign director John Manassah believes that the party has the strength to fight the incumbent governor, Nyako.
‘’People are disappointed with the PDP-led government and with this situation at hand, CPC is battle ready to wrest power from PDP,’’ he told the crowd that turned up to witness the party primaries.
Another issue that might haunt Nyako, which opponents might capitalise on, is that his administration has been shrouded with controversies since birth. He was accused of cronyism, policy blunders and increasing disconnect between the government and the ordinary people. But the governor’s aides keep denying the allegations, while Nyako’s adversaries see his handlers as unwise for tagging the governor’s performance outstanding.
It is glaring now that the governorship election may experience voter apathy because there will not be elections into other offices that would have elicited much public interest.
This will hurt the fortunes of many candidates, though many argue that if Marwa and Ardo will come into the election with a common front, it could be a game-over for Nyako.
The ACN in the state, if not for its recent leadership tussle, could have been the strongest of all the opposition parties in Adamawa going by the result of the last elections which served as a benchmark.
The party for now is facing three critical issues which include fragmentation of its members along minority tribal lines; lack of strong coordination at the local levels, and the party’s sole dependence on former Governor Boni Haruna who recently suffered defeat at a tribunal.
Prompted by this situation, sources said, the party chairman Alh. Muhammad Abdullahi, had no option than to voluntarily resign as he did. But the state publicity secretary of the party, a onetime commissioner in the Boni Haruna’s administration, Mr Johanna Mathias, maintained that ‘’all is well in the party.’’
Mathias said the party was not rattled by the power of the ruling party, PDP. ‘’This government has failed. It is shrouded in policy blunders,’’ Mathias said.
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