Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas is the member representing Ganye/Jada/Toungo/Mayo-Belwa Federal Constituency of Adamawa State in the House of Representatives and the Chairman, House Committee on Army. In this interview, he bares his mind on Adamawa politics, chances of APC’s governorship candidate, Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed Binani, winning the election, Tinubu/Shettima ticket and the reactions that trailed it among other issues.
A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal vehemently opposed the Muslim-Muslim ticket and subsequently left the APC. You are from the same state with him, what do you think will be the impact of his exit?
I think Babachir has his opinion and he is entitled to it. Nobody will stop that and he is not the only person in that state, there are a few people who have also expressed the same opinion that they don’t want this. But I can also tell you, we have a lot of Christians who have also agreed, very senior, respected Christians who have agreed that we are not supposed to use religion and they are supporting the Tinubu/Kashim ticket. I come from a state where religion is a very sensitive matter, but we have been talking to ourselves. The issue at stake today is that you need somebody who can really help you not only win an election, but also transform the country.
Both Tinubu and Shettima were governors at one point in time. They also served as distinguished senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. If you look at what Kashim did in Borno State and Tinubu in Lagos State, you will come to agree that we have candidates that can actually deliver.
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I believe the choice of Kashim Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate was not meant to spite the Christians, it was not done in a manner to make them feel very unimportant, no. It is politics.
So, we have successfully convinced a lot of our brothers that are Christians and they have come to agree not through coercion but understanding. And Babachir as a person is from my state and he has his rights, but you know today, from what I have read in the papers, he is no longer even in APC, he has gone to the Labour Party.
I’m the secretary of the Logistics and Support Services of the APC Presidential Campaign Council. So, all these campaigns, I have been part of. There is no single rally that I have not attended and I have been able to discuss and interact with a lot of people who belong to different faiths and Tinubu seems to be the most acceptable candidate. So, I think we have a better chance that will give better results.
You contested for APC governorship ticket in Adamawa but lost. What is your next plan?
I wanted to have a feel of the executive, though I had worked with Governor Boni Haruna as his Press Secretary for a long period of time. But this time, I wanted to be the one that will take decisions, not legislatively but executive decisions. Since I have not been given the opportunity, I will go back to the drawing board and look at what is best for me. You know, every decision you take depends on the situation at the time. So, next time, after four years, the situation will determine for me. I wouldn’t like to preempt early that this is what I want to do. Everybody has a different decision at different times. Politics is part of me. I am still young and I have age on my side. I am just 53 years and by first January I will be 54 years, so I have enough time on my side.
What is your take on the legal issues that followed the Adamawa APC governorship primary?
I wouldn’t say there are issues. Six of us contested for the primary and during the election, when votes were cast and counted, I lost and Senator Binani emerged the winner. Even before the announcement of Binani as the winner of that primary, I congratulated her and I agreed that I lost. In this game, you must have the spirit of sportsmanship. When her candidature was challenged in the court, I supported her.
How was the issue resolved after the Appeal Court judgement that affirmed Binani’s candidature?
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who challenged Binani’s election as APC governorship flag bearer in Adamawa, was prevailed upon by friends and associates not to appeal the judgement at the Supreme Court so that we will continue to maintain unity in the party. He heeded the call. So, Senator Binani is the flag bearer of the APC in Adamawa and we have no problem with that. We are looking forward to what will happen during the 2023 general elections.
Being in the opposition party in Adamawa and a female candidate, what are the chances of Senator Binani winning the governorship election?
When we contested the primary election with her, we had this idea that a woman, especially in the North, cannot defeat us. She was not part of those we thought could even emerge. But she won the primary election. So, if she defeated me and the other male candidates in the primary, who am I to come here and say she will not win the general elections, which I want my party, the APC to win? Coming to the general elections and continuing to assume that she wouldn’t win the election, I think I wouldn’t be fair to even myself, not to the people. The people of Adamawa will be the judges but I think she needs to work hard. This is because we still have some people who still believe that a woman is not supposed to rule them.
Moreso, we are in the opposition in Adamawa State. We have a sitting governor who is coming back for a second term. We also have a presidential candidate of the PDP who is also from the same state with us. So, she needs to work hard.
You chair the House of Representatives Committee on Army, which is key to national security. Attacks on INEC facilities have raised serious concerns about the 2023 elections. How do you see the deadline given by the federal government to end this insecurity before the elections?
I think this is not the best way to approach our current situation. Just because we are politicians, we shouldn’t value elections more than any other period. Most importantly, we should ensure that there is security permanently. I can tell you that as chairman, House Committee on Army, I have gone on several oversight functions. I am from the North East and I have visited the North West. I have realised that the situation even up North is coming down. It is not like before. Initially, you could not travel and every day we hear not less than 50 souls are lost in attacks. But today, it is not the same. So, I can tell you the situation is gradually coming to an end. This kind of guerrilla fight, you don’t expect somebody to give you a deadline. But the most important thing is to reduce it to the barest minimum and then gradually eliminate it. I can tell you that our armed forces and other security agencies are doing their best.
It is worrisome that offices of INEC, particularly in the South East, are always under attack. But I think the security agencies are doing their best because they have arrested some people that attacked or those in the process of attacking the facilities. We pray that Nigerians should help the security agencies by giving them information and being vigilant to make sure that the attacks are stopped and elections are conducted peacefully in 2023.
