There has been hullabaloo and a perceived down turn of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa state from ruling to an opposition party. Struggling to reclaim the past glory is still gloomy because of a negated vested interest of visionless party men and women.
There seems to be no lessons learnt of the outcome of past failure where the APC governor lost in 2019. It is a lesson not learned the hard way. This is because the Southern Senatorial zone, comprising Toungo, Ganye, Jada, Mayo Belwa, Demsa, Numan, Lamurde, Guyuk and Shelleng local government areas of Adamawa state, have suffered bad representation from the PDP, currently having its member representing the area.
The weakness of the PDP senator is an overriding step to victory if the APC will use it maximally. Today, by the analysis and understanding of the area in the emerging local and national politics, who will be the next senator of the area from the APC fold is of paramount importance.
Adamawa Southern zone constitutes about 80 percent Christians of diverse ethnic nationalities, this means that whoever will be the senator from either APC or PDP has to be a Christian for the party to have easy ride to victory.
Currently, the APC has six aspirants with five already staging a protest against the last primaries held in Numan, which they did not participate due to electoral irregularities and violence that marred the process.
Mrs Grace Jackson Bent is a former senator, who represented the zone in the 6th Assembly, Senator Ahmad Mohammed Moallayidi, former represented the southern area in the 8th Assembly.
Barrister Bala Silas Sanga, former Adamawa state attorney general and commissioner for justice, Mrs Bridget Ziddon and Alhaji Sani Jada in a joint press conference raised grievous allegations against Engr Adamu Ismaila Numan for violating the Electoral Act through vote buying and intimidation of delegates.
The allegations against Adamu Ismaila Numan revealed one’s weaknesses and lack of popularity as stated during the press conference by the five aggrieved aspirants.
With Adamu Ismaila, a Fulani Muslim, the PDP has began to celebrate its victory for their candidate, Binos Yaroe, who is also a Christian; creating an automatic success at the upcoming general elections.
This will no doubt be a repeat of 2019 when Senator Ahmad Mohammed Moallayidi, also a Fulani was imposed as a sole candidate on the people of the zone.
This is a clarion call to APC, that they should be mindful of the fact that, the PDP presidential flag bearer, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is from Adamawa state, a son of the soil from Jada local government area in Southern zone. This means a lot to both the PDP and APC.
The Atiku factor is playing a sensitive and a key role. He (Atiku) must ensure that his party wins the election. This is where lies his own point of strength to show to the world that he has a home base, a grassroots politician that has not lost touch with his locality, and in control of local politics. To APC, it means that any aspirant to push as their candidate must be a Christian, to dislodge the incumbent senator, Rev Binos Dauda Yaroe, who is seen as a weakling APC can easily beat.
But the drifting of APC in Adamawa state by imposing and not fielding popular candidates will be a tsunami that will kill the party. It is obvious that failure to give the party a good candidate in Southern zone is pushing it to the verge of losing elections not only in the zone but in many parts of state.
The thinking and suggestions of political analysts and observers in the state is that based on the wisdom of APC, the opposition party should rally round Grace Jackson Bent and give her the Senatorial ticket if the party is desirous of winning the election.
Bent is the only person that has what it takes to wrestle power from PDP, under Binos Yaroe’s representation in the National Assembly. She is the one with the temerity, and the wisdom to get the seat back to APC. She is a Christian of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN), a denomination which Yaroe belongs.
She has cordial relationship with other denominations in the zone; a former senator whose records are tremendous and still speak volumes as a mark of her stewardship. The woman in terms of party and national politics has a greater ranking than the other five aspirants. Her political profile is intimidating to the fact that, PDP rated her high while in the party as a board of trustee member before she defected to APC.
The views of many in the zone suggest that only Senator Grace Bent has the political might, experience and doggedness to win the Senate seat of the Southern zone in 2023.
Less than this, it becomes a political jamboree and gambling of wasted votes, time and resources to failure by APC after much effort to win.
The earlier, they say, the better. A stitch in time saves nine! Grace Bent is a household name, she answers the Goggo name in the roll call of women of good leadership qualities.
She is a mother to all and a politician of impeccable records at home and abroad. In terms of education, she has it all. She has Masters and doctoral degrees in philosophy. What else? To be forewarned is to be forearmed. APC’s failure to adhere to this, is a decision taken by the party to fail.
The message is clear, is passed to the ears of those with listening ear of wisdom.
Dr Njiling writes from Jimeta, Yola, Adamawa state
