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Like all politicking season in the giant of Africa, Nigeria, the 2023 general elections are no different from the previous ones we had in the country. This includes all aspects of the politicking, particularly the emergence of candidates at their respective primaries. As usual, during the parties’ primaries, all the political parties had their share of problems associated with the emergence of various candidates at both federal and state elective positions. One such controversial state and candidate was that of Adamawa and their gubernatorial candidate, Senator A’isha Dahiru Ahmed (aka Binani).
Binani’s emergence as the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the national ruling party, and the opposition party in Adamawa state, is like most, if not all, other parties’ primaries, where the emergence of a candidate always generates controversies and revolts in most cases. Her emergence and the defeat of Malam Nuhu Ribadu (who was bankrolled by a governor friend, and a staunch seller of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu, BAT, presidency) generated so much tension not only within the state APC, but at the national level as well. As there are various insinuations that the then APC presidential and vice-presidential candidates as well as President Muhammadu Buhari, and the APC national chairman, as well as some foreign missions in Nigeria, pressurised and convinced Ribadu to withdraw his court case challenging her emergence. All these in the hope of having a “FEMALE GOVERNOR” in Nigeria, and most importantly the “CONSERVATIVE NORTH.” This is the clear manifestation of desperation of typical Nigerian and politicians in general.
Though her electioneering campaign went smoothly with no friction with the sitting governor Ahmadu Fintiri but the election was another issue in itself. The first round of the election on March 18, 2023, which was declared inclusive by the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was orderly followed, but that was where the desperation of Binani started. As the result of that election indicated, the issue of “FIRST FEMALE GOVERNOR” IN Northern Nigeria, and Nigeria in general is unrealistically achievable by her.
Desperation is one feature which all politicians are aligned to. But at the level of bizarreness of such desperation as that of Binani came out vividly, is one of the most shamefulness of a person, particularly a mother that is regarded to be of the highest moral and ethical values in the society. The main issue here is that of Binani’s declaration as the winner of the Adamawa state gubernatorial election. There was the shabby declaration by the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Hudu Ari, with no reference to a single figure of numbers for either the winner or the loser, despite protest from all the other political parties calling Ari to adhere to the Electoral Act, which provided that only the state returning officer is powered to declare a candidate winner. Despite this law and Ari being a lawyer himself, went ahead and declared Binani as the winner.
Going by the result of March 18, election, it would be a herculean task for Binani to win the election. As of the time the election was declared inconclusive, Governor Fintiri was leading her with more than 31,000 votes, and the election turnout was about 40 percent. At the resumption of the inclusive election on April 15, there were 37,000 or so accredited voters. So, if one assumed the same percentage turn out of 40 percent (14,800), thus, if she got all the votes, 14,800, that means the gap tally between her and Governor Fintiri reduced to 16,200 votes. Still the now suspended REC Ari declared her as the winner.
With allegation that she offered N2 billion to Ari and those security personnel that gave him cover to declare the result in her favour, as well as the speed she went to a High Court in Abuja, refusing to stay in Yola, the Adamawa state capital, as well as her denial of offering such bribe, a lot needs to be done to clear the air.
As Mr. President-elect said, the police need to do a thorough investigation into this matter, to come to the bottom of the issue. For sure, Mr. BAT will inherit this mess from PMB, as PMB administration will wind up before this scandal is properly done with and will be the test of his government, politically, and in the manner he will approach fighting corruption in the polity. Siding with Binani as an APC member and for being a female (which she heavily relied on than her capacity as the best candidate for Adamawa state) will severely put the BAT administration on the defensive come 2027 elections, and will open floodgates of similar cases. Likewise, failure to prosecute REC Ari and his cohorts to a conclusive trial will haunt the administration’s fight on corruption, as the case will always become a reference point, as the pardoning of jailed former governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame of Plateau and Taraba states, respectively, by the PMB administration.
There was much hope on Binani prior to this show of shame (as put by Daily Trust editorial, “in one terrible show of shame that would not be forgotten soon”). In some quarters, she was even pointed out as a role model as well as a mentor for would-be female politicians in Northern Nigeria. But all is shattered by desperation to clinch power at any cost, the invisible hands that bankrolled such desperation, particularly the international actors.
The N2 billion allegation needs to be investigated thoroughly, because at the end of the initial election of March 18, and after the collation of 20 out of 21 local government areas, it was apparent to all that care that there was no magic wand for Binani to win the supplementary election. As at the closing of the March 18 collation results, Governor Fintiri won 13 with 401,115 votes out of the 20 local government areas announced, while Binani won seven with 365, 498 votes. Thus, Binani needs to come up with more than 35, 617 votes from that one local government area and some remnant of polling units where there were some irregularities. As everything in Nigeria’s politics, this was an impossible and herculean task against a sitting governor, as well as the state of the strongest opposition presidential candidate who is at all costs to save his image after losing the presidential election and add that to losing his state to a female candidate. This is an obvious fact that Binani will not see the light of the day as far as PDP is concerned.
Another aspect of the “Ari-Binani” drama was the loss of confidence on the part of the “declared winner.” After Ari declared her winner, in the shabbiest declaration in our political history, declaring someone the winner of an election, by just announcing her winner, with no numbers given, no numbers given for the loser as well, Binani appeared on TV and presented one of the most incomprehensive acceptance speech. Not only this, ironically, it was the same winner that went to COURT to restrain the electoral umpire from any action or inaction that will overturn the declaration by Ari. Thus, Binani knew something was wrong somewhere, and she is the only one that shed more light to Nigerians.
The investigation referred to by the president-elect to be carried out by the police needs to be thoroughly conducted which might be beyond the Nigeria police, because this show of shame might involve some foreign missions in Nigeria (who enjoy diplomatic immunity), thus, a roadblock for Nigeria police investigation. We are all witnesses to how a foreign mission went on social media congratulating Binani as the first female governor in Nigeria, and MUSLIM NORTH in particular. This was during the March 18 election. Thus, this foreign mission might be involved in this show of shame in one way or the other, which only a proper, diligent, and thorough investigation will determine.
Lots of Binani’s support was just for gender equality. While nobody is against gender equality but gender equality must not relegate integrity, competency, capacity, ethics, morality, all these come before gender equality. It would not make any sense to have a female governor as corrupt or worse than the current males we are having. That will even be a disaster for us. This is vivid in the case of our first female petroleum minister. We are all witnesses to how our oil and gas industry became under that corrupt female minister.
There is no doubt that all eyes and ears will be on BAT from the moment he takes the oath of office on how he will treat Binani and handle this drama. Any attempt to sweep it under the carpet and continue with “business as usual” will tarnish and haunt BAT personally and his administration. On the other side of the coin, politicians and INEC staff will play 2027 as Ari, his security collaborators and Binani played 2023. Thus, President BAT must follow his words with through actions to address this matter conclusively. Hope BAT will do that so it will be a decisive lesson for our politicians and all relevant stakeholders that are involved in conducting and managing elections in Nigeria.
Abdullahi writes from Texas, United States via [email protected]
