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How Fintiri won PDP ticketWas it deliberate or a mere coincidence, that a former federal lawmaker and a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, turned out to be the one to superintend over a contest involving an incumbent Speaker of the Adamawa House of Assembly and acting governor of the State, Alhaji Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri?
Did his role as the Chief Returning Officer for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), governorship primary, for the forthcoming Adamawa governorship election, had any influence on the outcome of the contest, which saw Fintiri, emerging as the candidate?
These are some of the questions that have been agitating the minds of the people of Adamawa State, including the aspirants, who contested the ticket with Fintiri. But for now, none of them, including the aspirants have made any public claim against the outcome of the primary election, held last Saturday.
At the end of the contest, Fintiri was said to have polled 624 votes, to defeat his closest rival, Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Modibbo, who polled 197 votes. Other results, as released by the panel that conducted the primary, showed that General Buba Marwa (rtd), was said to have come a distant third, with 54 votes, while Dr. Umar Ardo and Jerry Kumdisi, polled nine and four votes, respectively.
Fintiri’s first move
From day one, Fintiri left no one in doubt that he was not just interested in the party’s ticket, but was equally interested in governing the State, as a substantive governor. He consolidated his effort, with the donation of N10million to the party leadership in the State, to help in running the affairs of the party. He also wasted no time in buying SUVs for the Council chairmen in the State. All these, Daily Sun learnt, he did to win them over to his side, and the strategy worked, as it did not take long before the stakeholders began singing different tunes, in his support.
Fintiri may have probably understood that because of the tight-fisted nature of the impeached Governor Nyako, such donations would go a long way in helping him to oil his political machinery. And the idea proved to be a good strategy, as Fintiri also got to his side, a political orator and one of the oldest surviving political strategists, in the State, Dr, Jonathan Zwingina. Zwingina was the Director of Publicity of the ‘Hope 93’ campaign train that delivered late Chief MKO Abiola.
Politics of his disqualification
Although Fintiri’s donations to the party and other stakeholders in the State were made public, that of the National Headquarters, was never made public, but Daily Sun gathered that he indeed spent fortunes on some National officers of the party, just to get their support.
However, in spite that, the Senator Ibrahim Mantu-led screening appeared not pleased with him, not because he did not “reach out” to them too, but because the committee felt that Fintiri, was not the “anointed of the Presidency.”
The committee therefore wasted no time, in disqualifying him. Announcing his disqualification, Mantu said his participation offended the provision of Section 191, sub section 2 of Nigeria’s constitution, which did not allow him to transform from acting governor to a substantive governor.
“He (Fintiri), was not cleared because as far as we are concerned, section 191, sub-section 2 of the constitution does not permit him to transform from acting capacity to a substantive governor,” adding that only a deputy governor, who may have contested on the same ticket with the governor that would “actually enjoy that kind of privilege. He is a child of circumstance. If you are a referee, you cannot join the other side. But he is entitled to appeal,” Mantu, had declared.
Disqualification upturned
Unknown to the Mantu committee, another unelected senior official of the Presidency, who was said to have great influence on President Jonathan, had promised Fintiri the ticket. And because the official is alleged to also have penchant for “collecting tips” from Nigerians, including public officials, seeking favour from President Jonathan, Fintiri, had sowed his own seed there too.
And less than 24 hours after he was disqualified, the disqualification was quashed by the Senator James Manager-led Appeal committee, saying that the appeal Panel’s decision was taken in “good faith and without any undue pressure.”
He further said: “Almost all of us here are meeting the acting governor for the first time when he came for this. Our decision is not based on any primordial reasons but what was presented befitting us.”
But even before the Appeal Panel’s decision, Fintiri, had told all those who cared to listen that his disqualification would not stand, claiming that he was the one the Adamawa people wanted, and that he was prepared to kick off his campaign the next day. He made the statement on the day he appeared before the Appeal Panel. And true to his word, his clearance, which was said to have been facilitated by the unelected senior official of the Presidency, was announced same night.
The die-minute withdrawal
The eleventh hour withdrawal of about seven aspirants, barely 24 hours to the primary election, further guaranteed Fintiri’s emergence. This is so because, with the withdrawal of the eight aspirants, one of whom had earlier been rumously anointed by the Presidency, it became clearer that Fintiri would be the only anointed in the race.
The aspirants that withdrew were: Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Awwal Tukur, Aliyu Idi Hong, Andrawus Sawa, James Barka, Aliyu Kama, Markus Gundiri and Senator Abubakar Girei. They withdrew after a peace deal was brokered between them and other aspirants, by President Jonathan and Senate President, David Mark.
Daily Sun learnt that the agreement was to the effect that all those who participated in last Saturday’s primary, would not participate for the governorship ticket in 2015. Once this set of aspirants withdrew, it became apparent to political observers that Fintiri would emerge, since the other aspirants who also had a strong presidential backing, like Fintiri, was among the eight that withdrew at the last minute.
Last line
All said and done, after the Adamawa by-election in October this year, whoever emerges as the governor, whether from the APC or the PDP, may likely go to court to seek interpretation concerning when his tenure starts and ends. This is so because a man, who was never elected on a joint ticket with the impeached governor, could not be said to want to complete the governor’s tenure in the real sense of it. He would rather be starting his tenure afresh. But on what the future holds on this issue, only time will tell.
Acceptance speech
In his acceptance speech, Acting Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, described his emergence as the candidate of the PDP for the by-election as a resounding victory for the party and appealed to other aspirants to join hands with him and other stakeholders to lead PDP to victory in the October election.
Fintiri also said his election was an impetus for him and his cabinet members to save the state from infrastructural decay and transform it for the purpose of eliciting development in all spheres.
Meanwhile, former Military Administrator of Lagos State, Brigadier – General Mohammed Buba Marwa,has directed his teeming supporters to vote en masse for Fintiri in the scheduled October 11,2014, governorship by-election in Adamawa State.
Marwa,who was among the five aspirants that contested for governorship primaries for the PDP ticket last Saturday, told newsmen that he was satisfied and endorsed the process and the result of the gubernatorial primaries.
According to him, the process was superb as he encouraged Nigerians to continue to improve on the electoral process in order to establish a durable democracy for the country with the proper coordination of the political class.
“I fully associate myself with the process and result announced by Dimeji Bankole-led committee. I am impressed with the former Speaker’s committee that has done very well in organizing the primary election of our party. As a loyal party member I will support the candidature of the Acting Governor to achieve the best for the states,” he said.
He promised to remain firm in the PDP, as he will not decamp to any party, and based on agreement and mutual understanding reached at Abuja by stakeholders and other aspirants that the central zone, if the state should produce the next governor of the state in 2015.
The post How Fintiri won PDP ticket appeared first on The Sun News.
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