Reports on the meeting of Adamawa APC candidates and selected party stakeholders at the behest of the First Lady were presented to the public mostly via new media.
What is identified as unity about the report is that the meeting was held. The purposes of the meeting and the deliberations as reported are however varried.
There’s the presentation from the investigative angle that agrees with anonymous version, which disclosed the crux of the meeting as that intended to disenfranchise both Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, a.k.a Binani and Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, a.k.a Fresh-Air from participating in the 2023 governorship elections in Adamawa state, to open a convenient space for Malam Nuhu Ribadu’s emergence. It is the version, the political pundits pointed out that instigated the feminist activist politician, Dr Najaatu Mohammed’s narrativisation, where she blamed women, based on the very act credited to the First Lady as the convener, for the disturbingly poor participation of women in politics, taking the meeting and Binani’s aspiration to have been collectively supported by women as case study.
There is the version that has taken a departure from the Binani denigration, by presenting a laudable report of the meeting deliberated on how the APC would retain the leadership at the centre and reclaim the governorship at the state level.
This version is given by the leadership of the Adamawa state chapter of the APC in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman, Hon Samaila Tadawus and the secretary, Dr. Raymond Chidama that “the purpose of the meeting was to congratulate the First Lady over recent happenings in the polity and especially her appointment as the chairperson of the Tinubu/Shettima Women Campaign Team.
“It was also meant to serve as a platform to discuss how Her Excellency could support the vision of the State Exco of the party to take our candidates to victory”.
Question is asked, who sought for the audience. Can a group be invited by a celebrant simply to be congratulated? Doesn’t it sound solicitous?
Hon Rufai Gombi flying the state assembly flag, Hon Abubakar Babazango flying the House of Representatives flag and Hon Abdulrazak Saad Namdas have in an interview with newsmen, separately commended the First Lady for convening what they could refer to as unity convention, convenient for the entire APC candidates, perhaps with the exception of Binani who was not invited.
Gombi and Zango denied that there was any denigration of Binani, the call to drop and superimpose Ribadu as favourite candidate, going by the excerpt below:
“The convener 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; that she asked Tinubu if he will allow a female governor in Lagos and he said no. She therefore said she will only allow them to have a female running mate but not a female candidate.
“…The key stakeholders at the meeting were forced to sign a document endorsing Nuhu Ribadu as the gubernatorial candidate and Ambassador Patricia, the current women leader, to be the running mate. All other gubernatorial Aspirants were assured a place in Tinubu’s government at the centre.
“…On the Court case at the Court of Appeal and several other cases such as the one for the southern Senatorial Candidate, the House of Representatives for Mubi, the first lady boastfully said she would invite the Attorney General of the Federation and the Judges in “order to direct them (ridiculously so) to make sure the cases go as follows;
“In the case of Nuhu Ribadu vs Binani, the court will rule in favour of a rerun election for the primaries.
In the case of the others, the courts will dismiss all the cases.
“…She also insinuated that she has influence on the Supreme Court and that should any of the cases reach the highest court of the land, she will make sure it’s dead on arrival.
“…In the case of the current governor coming up for judgement at the supreme court, the convention was made to believe that it’s almost a foregone conclusion that the governor will be disqualified from contesting and that he will be made to work for the Nuhu Ribadu/Patricia ticket.
“…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 Assembly members.
“…The convener will directly take charge of all affairs of the APC in Adamawa State and once the cases are over and Nuhu Ribadu becomes a candidate she will roll out the campaign plans.
“…Certain individuals were instantly appointed directors of media, administration, mobilization etc of the Tinubu Campaign Council in Adamawa State which will in turn also be the driver of the gubernatorial campaign as well.
“Apart from the reckless statements on the judiciary which one or two persons tried to caution, the biggest bombshell was that the convener said she is in Talks with Atiku Abubakar with regards to the soon to be disqualified PDP governorship candidate in the state who is the incumbent governor.
“All attendees were shocked as to how a leading member of the APC campaign council will be in a political (not personal or family) talks with the candidate of the opposition”.
The point however as political pundits would observe is to have the denial registered from a higher source or sources.
Source: The Periscope Global Editorial
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