By Mathew Onah
Nigerians are not only a nostalgic lot, they are resiliently hopeful in their political relief as to the abiity of their leaders to wrought magic.
Since the advent of participatory democracy in the country, every successive change in government has held out the magic palm of making a difference in the lives of the citizenry.
Yet, such changes had not only been met with disappointment but consternation and lamentations that yesterday could have been better.
This hopefulness and the continuous disappointment in our leaders to fulfilled and actualize our dreams have remained a study in the political discourse.
There are two sides to the discourse, either, we expect too much from our leaders or our leaders have not yet grasped what the electorate wants from them . or and even more importantly, it is a gradual slide to political decay
If it is such, then it is an indication of our poor perception of our civic duties and responsibilities. If yesterday keeps being better than today in our politics and
governance styles, then it is an indictment on our tomorrow.
The recently concluded visit of the former Governor of Adamawa state, Senator Mohammed Umaru Jibrilla Bindow, to the state and the tumultuous receptions accorded in Yola, Mubi and Shelling towns, has not only baffled political analyst but has surprised politicians
themselves.
Surprised, because, only two years. Ago He failed to return to the Dougirie lodge after a strenuous match that runs into extra time.
The incumbent Governor, Umaru Ahmadu Fintiri, had defeated Bindow, in an election, against the run of play, that went into supplementary
elections. It was therefore a source of surprise that the same Bindow was given the red carpet receptions by the people of the state.
What were the circumstances that led to the defeat of BINDOW, now returning as a hero? Adamawa state has a peculiar political setting that is not tenable anywhere else.
Indeed, Adamawa, a mini Nigeria, with high ‘’ net worth’’ political stakeholders playing Russian roulette, and the political battlegrounds shifting like quicksands
Former Governor Bindow despite his achievements, in areas of roads reconstruction, was confronted with many challenges that led to the end of his mandate,
Bindow was fed with a myriad of challenges and obstacles, some as a matter of fact self inflicted.
Bindow’s inability to sustain political association with any of the major blocks in the state eventually turned to be his major Achilles heel.
He had ridden to power on the platform of the Former Governor Murtala Nyako in 2015, only to ditch the group for the platform of the former vice president Atiku Abubakar.
He had claimed then that Atiku spent over an N500million on his governorship elections, a claim which had irked not only the Nyako group but also the Buhari Presidency.
Bindow was also not on the same page with any of the power blocks in the state. Apart from the Nyako group, he has issues with Gen.Mohammed Marwa. Some of the major political gladiators in the state had also
expressed annoyance with Bindow over the ways and manner, he ran the state without consulting them
He was almost totally not on the page with any of the powerful voting blocks in the state. This came to the fore right from the inception of his administration.
The Fulanis, a major powerful political ethnic group in the state, have vowed to oust him from power in 2019. They accused him of marginalizing them in the power equation in the state. They had pointed out the fact that Bindow, his Deputy, the speaker, deputy speaker, SSG, and his chief of staff, were all of minority ethnic stock in the state.
Bindow’s opponents, made much political capital out of his perceived flaws, in not maintaining and sustaining a relationship.
The general insecurity that rock the northern part of the country occasioned by the farmers/herders’ violent clashes contributed a lot to his losing the election. What was even more surprising was the fact that typical of
Nigerian, the advent of the Fintiri administration saw an
orchestrated campaign of calumny against Bindow. Both imaginable and the unimaginable tales were all woven around the former Governor.
Such that a few weeks into the inauguration of the house of assembly, 2019, the speaker, inaugurated three Ad-hoc committees to probe various aspects of Bindow s administration, including a debt profile of N125Billion, alleged to have been incurred in three years.
The speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aminu Iya Abbas said it was necessary to unravel the mystery surrounding the high debt profile of the state and other discrepancies that occurred in the state in the last four years if the state is to achieve any meaningful progress.
The committees are on the financial status of the state, headed by Mrs kate. Raymond is to conduct a detailed investigation into the finances of the state from 2017 to date and review the financial records for the period, as well as check the inflows and outflows of the funds and examine the statement of accounts.
Other terms of reference include examining the Paris club and other bailout funds, restructure bonds and ascertain actual debt profile both local and international,
The assembly directed the state ministry of finance, the Accountant –General office, the Board of internal revenue, the budget and planning office, and the debt management office to provide all relevant records to the committee.
Also impaneled is the committee on salaries payment, employment and transfer of service, which is to determine the number of people employed in the last three years and the general disposition of the state staff strength.
Another committee is to unravel the mystery in the Christian and Muslim pilgrims’ welfare commission.
The three committees would also investigate all capital projects undertaken in its sphere of responsibility in the last three years.
The establishment of the committees arose after a motion by a member representing HONG constituency, Hon. Wesley Bhartiya. But all the noise, accusations and controversies, probes seemed to have fizzled out in favor of Bindow. Now, Bindow is being hailed as a leader, whose political sun is yet to set. and whose handling of state affairs is being commended as
exemplary.
Hon. Abdullahi Yapak, a member representing Verre Fulfore state constituency in the state house of assembly, said the people have realized the difference between the peaceful and diplomatic manner that Bindow administers the state and the militaristic and comparative style of the incumbent.
He stressed that Adamawa witnessed more development in infrastructure in the first two years of Gov. Bindow, as compared to that of the incumbent.
And alluded to the return of Bindow in 2023 .’’ I would work for Bindow to come back, I have seen the difference and Bindow is
better.
‘’ Bindow like Kwankwaso in Kano would come to complete his second tenure’. Yapak, might not be alone in his summation, in Yola, Mubi, and Shelling, thousands came out with placards calling for Bindow to run
in 2023. A political, the Bindow support group, based in mubi, the commercial nerve center of Adamawa have stated that they may be compelled to seek legal injunctions should Bindow hesitate to run-in
2023
A retired civil servant, haya Medugu also commended the conciliatory style of the former Governor. He said contrary to the expectations of politicians, especially, those in APC, Bindow was a study in candor as he commended the Fintiri administration for the
flyover road project being undertaken by the incumbent.
Medugu attributed the red carpet treatment given to Bindow by the people to some of the glaring mistakes of the incumbent administration and urge the incumbent to adjust to the will of the people.
He enumerates, policy reversals of employments of youths especially in the state polytechnic, combative nature of top government officials, and not being consultative as some glaring mistakes.
He said while Bindow could be accused of being conciliatory, Fintiri is perceived as harsh, combative, and intuitive Two years more to go much could still happen in the quicksands of time in the uncertain charts of politics. But the recent visit to the state by the former Governor has sent a major signal to his political
peers in the state.
Mathew Onah is Adamawa based journalist
Correspondent Chapel’s Member
Writes from Yola
