The political camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has gone into overdrive over what it believes is an attempt to take the political victory of party in his home state of Adamawa and hand it over to the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Aisha Binani.
Umaru Fintiri is the sitting Governor of Adamawa State. He is of the PDP.
But the APC has drawn the attention of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and security agencies to what it described as the massive thuggery, violence, intimidation and undue pressure by the PDP, calculated to disrupt final collation and announcement of result of the Governorship election in Adamawa State.
One of Atiku’s spokesmen, Dr. Tunde Olusunle, alleged on Monday morning that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State
is under instruction not to declare Umaru Fintiri who by results posted on the portal of INEC, has decisively won the governorship election.
“Forces working against the PDP/Atiku, are citing the authority of Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, who hails from Adamawa State, who wants to produce Nigeria’s “first ever female governor.”
“This is also targeted at the homestead humiliation of Atiku, who has serially advocated and exemplified “due process” politicking.
“The level of global putrefaction to which Buhari has subjected this country in his eight years in office is better forgotten,” he added.
In a statement by the APC spokesman, Mr. Felix Morka, the party insist election results show a clear and decisive victory for Senator Aishatu Dahiru (Binani), the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate.
The statement, titled, Adamawa Governorship Election – Executive Brigandage must not prevail against the will of the people – the APC said: “Faced with imminent and certain prospect of loss in the election, thugs and political actors led by incumbent Governor, and Candidate of the PDP, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, have unleashed heavily armed thugs to disrupt further collation of result and subvert the will of Adamawa people as expressed at the polls. The Governor is reported to have torn result sheets at the collation centre in a show of unprecedented impunity and executive brigandage.
“We are well aware of the massive pressure on INEC and law enforcement authorities to cave in to the inordinate demands of the PDP to subvert final collation and announcement of result. However, we are supremely confident that INEC and our law enforcement authorities will stand firm and conclude the election process in the State as required by law.
“The result of election in Fufore Local Government Area of the state must not be tampered with as Senator Aishatu Dahiru (Binani) holds a clear, unassailable lead, only awaiting final collation and declaration by INEC.
“Nigeria is on the cusp of a major democratic record with the election and emergence of the first female Governor of a State in the country. We urge all well meaning Nigerians to stand together to protect and uphold this historic victory for women and our country.”
Meanwhile, the Atiku camp also churned out a material in which it claimed that social media reports late evening Saturday March 18, indicated (that a) governor and former presidential aide to (Olusegun Obasanjo(, sneaked into Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
“They reportedly engaged the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, to instigate him to alter the votes, against the incumbent PDP governor, Umaru Fintiri, in favour of APC’s Senator Fintiri.
“False reports have since dominated the media to the effect that Binani is making history as Nigeria’s first woman governor. APC attempting to take over Adamawa by force as we speak.
“Soldiers have taken over the the streets. Policemen are throwing tear gas. The aim is to humiliate PDP presidential flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar who is from Adamawa, as being unable to win in his own state. This is not the transition model which produced Buhari.
“It is disheartening that this is the electoral template he has bequeathed on Nigeria after eight years. Let’s urgently alert the world to current happenings in Adamawa please.”
