All seems not to be well with the Adamawa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following moves by the First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari to prevail on stakeholders to drop Sen. Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani) as the governorship candidate of the party.

Mrs. Buhari, who convened a meeting of Adamawa leaders at her Conference Room on Friday night in Abuja, said the only female governorship candidate in the country must be dropped.

She said she anticipated that the Court of Appeal may order a fresh governorship primary election in the state, and directed all the stakeholders to vote for a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu if the court demands a re-run of the primary election.

But her position shocked many stakeholders at the venue of the meeting in the Presidential Villa. Some of them threatened protest votes if the First Lady has her way. A few others have opted to protest to the National Chairman of APC, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu.

A member of the State Executive Committee (SEC) at the meeting, who spoke anonymously, captured the mood at the session.

He said: “What they did was to go on a journey of self deception by playing God. All through the First Lady assured them of how very powerful she is and her capacity to determine outcomes especially in Adamawa State.

“She said she had powers to influence the course of events including removing the National Chairman of the party if he opposes her move.

“She intimidated them to high heavens and even claimed that non of the candidates will win the next election without her support.”

But it was learnt that the session became tensed when the First Lady opened up on why Adamawa was not ripe for a female governor. She explained why she is opposed to the governorship ticket of Sen. Dahiru Ahmed (Binani).

Another source, who was at the meeting said: “The First Lady Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mrs Aisha Buhari, called a meeting of selected individuals from Adamawa State on Friday 18th November 2022 by 7pm.

“The First Lady said Nigeria is not ripe for a female gubernatorial candidate or an elected female governor. That the maximum women should expect is a female deputy governor.

“We were told to be prepared that in the unlikely event that Binani recovers the ticket at the Appeal Court, they should be prepared to work against her as they did to Bindow in 2019. They called this agenda,” the secret within a secret.

“The key stakeholders at the meeting were forced to sign a document of endorsement saying Nuhu Ribadu has been endorsed as the Gubernatorial candidate and Ambassador Patricia Yakubu, the current woman leader was to be the running mate.

“All other gubernatorial aspirants were assured a place in Tinubu’s government at the center.

“After acknowledging that they are first cousins and close family relations with “Uwani” as Binani is called within family circles, the first lady said that Binani offended her by crossing over to PDM in 2015.

“She said she sent emissaries ito ask her to remain in APC in order to support her husband but Binani refused. Some of us felt it was cheap blackmail.

“Nuhu Ribadu whom she supports now was an APC member who defected to the PDP to fly the flag of PDP as gubernatorial candidate. The deputy Governorship candidate she endorsed was an APC member who defected in order to serve as a Commissioner in a PDP government in the state headed by Bala Ngillari.”

Some leaders at the meeting were however sulking over sudden choice of Ribadu.

One of them added: “In 2015 Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was not popular within the PDP, the current governor was the choice of the majority, he used his connections with the Villa to move the primaries from Yola to Abuja and he won the nomination but came third in the election to the extent of being defeated in his polling unit, ward and LGA by Marcus Gundiri.

In 2023 he is repeating the same thing by coming to Abuja to receive the endorsement of people who cannot even deliver their polling units. Meanwhile the person whose ambitions he scuttled in 2015 contested in 2019 and by the grace of God the governor of the state. He sought nomination in 2019 and lost to the then sitting governor. He only succeeded in delaying the will of God but he never stopped it. So shall it be in the case of Binani insha Allah.”

On plans for the general election, another leader at the session gave more insights.
He said: “The First Lady directed the “setting up of a committee made of serving members of the House of Representatives to mobilize funds for the financing of the campaigns in Adamawa State especially those of the state House of Assembly members.

“The first lady will directly take charge of all affairs of the APC in Adamawa State and that once the cases are over and Nuhu Ribadu becomes candidate she will roll out the campaign plans.

“Certain individuals were instantly appointed directors of media, administration, mobilization of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Adamawa State which will in turn also be the driver of the gubernatorial campaign as well.

But all the candidates admitted that they were low on cash for the 2023 election. A candidate said: “We spoke through representatives for each category, one Senatorial, one House of Representatives and one House of Assembly. The party leadership spoke and a few selected stakeholders also spoke. One of the gubernatorial Aspirants gave the closing remarks.

“All the candidates made it clear to the meeting that two major problems may impede their success at the next circle of elections. Should there be no gubernatorial candidate for the APC in the state, all other candidates from presidential to the state House of Assembly will be hard to sell.

“As it is they said they are all very low on funds to prosecute their campaigns and that there is an urgent need to provide them financial support.

“Those who attended the session were the National Vice Chairman of APC for the North-East, members of the State Working Committee of the party, one aspirants for governorship including Nuhu Ribadu, Abdulrazaq Namdas, Wafari Theman. Althouhh Binani was invited for the meeting, she couldn’t make it.

Others included all serving members of the House of Representatives, Senatorial candidate from the Southern Zone; all the 25 APC House of Assembly candidates; ex-Deputy Governor Martins Babale who is the interim coordinator of APC Presidential Campaign Organization in Adamawa State.

“Others were strategic leaders of APC and some selected persons known to either to be supporting or opposing Ribadu or Binani.

Source: The NewsGuru