A Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Bello Jada also known as Calculate has disclosed that he will work for the emergence of Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the presidential polls and will also work for the second term bid of governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State come 2023.
He said Atiku Abubakar, the PDP Presidential candidate is going no where in the coming 2023 polls, asserted that Tinubu will beat him hands down because of the unprecedented achievements across the country.
The politician recently came under heavy criticism over his avowed stance to work for APC in the national election with some of his critics calling him a perennial political itinerant.
But in a no holds barred interview with our reporter, Jada who said politics is about interest noted that despite being a bonafide member of PDP in Adamawa State, he will work for APC in presidential, senate, house of representatives and house of assembly elections come 2023.
He said he decided to pitch tent with Tinubu because he believes in the capacity, wherewithal, educational profundity, and the political will of Tinubu to resolve the myriads of challenges dogging Nigeria.
Elucidating the rationale of his decision further, Jada who said he is not disturbed about the barrage of criticism trailing his political decisions said, he will always work in the best interest of Nigeria regardless of whose ox is gored because he wants posterity to be kind to him.
He noted that Tinubu will replicate his approach in ridding Lagos from the menace of social miscreants by addressing the debilitating banditry, kidnapping and farmers/herders conflict bedeviling the north.
“When Tinubu became the governor of Lagos State, the issue of social miscreants is one of the most critical challenges facing the state. But Tinubu was able to rehabilitate those miscreants and secure a source of livelihood for them and turned Lagos into a model of peace and unity. I believe Tinubu will resolve the banditry, kidnapping and farmers/herders conflict by exploiting the ranching approach to create wealth and sustenance for the stakeholders.
“As a first class student both in the academia and politics, Tinubu will deploy his sound education to create solutions to the myriads of challenges facing Nigeria. Forget about the disrespectful way some people speak about Tinubu. I can assure you Tinubu is one of the best brains we have in Nigeria. He is a master strategists and a reservoir of knowledge.
“I’m in position to say this because of my close interaction with him when we contested various political positions under SDP in 1992. He contested for the position of senator in Lagos while I contested for House of representatives in my constituency. During meetings of stakeholders, Tinubu always take the charge and chart viable direction for us which led to the unprecedented success of the party at the general election.
“Tinubu also single handedly transformed his region as the most progressive and advanced through a sound leadership recruitment process. When he governed Lagos state, he appointed people from all over the south west into his cabinet and thereafter began mentoring them till they became leaders in their own rights. He mentored them and made sure they delivered the goods. Some of the best governors that the south west has produced are students of Tinubu leadership school.
“It is for these reasons that despite being a bonafide member of the PDP, I will work to ensure Tinubu’s presidency at the national level and will work for the second term bid of governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.
“The reason for my choices is based on the conviction that Tinubu is the best presidential material and my decision to stick with Fintiri is based on his excellent performance in the last three years.
“Posterity will remember Fintiri as one of the greatest architects of modern Adamawa State due to his sublime and unprecedented accomplishments. With the lean resources at his disposal, Fintiri was able to touch lives and reignites hope in almost all facets of socio-economic life of Adamawa State.
“I was one of the most virulent critics of Fintiri when he was seeking the mandate of the people thinking that he will never be a good leader. Surprisingly, Fintiri mesmerized me on account of his impactful stewardship which is beyond comprehension. So I made it a sacred duty to help him consolidate his solid achievements in 2023.
“Politics is all about interest and I will only work for those whom I have the conviction that they will serve the people well because I want posterity to be kind to me.
He noted that in 2019 general election, he worked for the presidential ambition of former vice president Atiku Abubakar despite being a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) because of the lackluster performance of president Muhammadu Buhari led government adding that he has always worked for what he believes is the best.
“I was in APC in 2019 but pitched my tent with Atiku Abubakar who was the presidential candidate of PDP over the lackluster performance of president Muhammadu Buhari due to his failure to fulfill most of the campaign promises he made in the build up to 2015 general election,” he said.
Jada said it will be politically immoral for a Hausa/Fulani northerner to succeed another Hausa/Fulani northerner looking at the precarious balance of power, suspicions and the uneasy calm in the country adding that even from the moral point of view, allowing the south to take over the reigns of power has become expedient.
When he was asked his reasons for pitching tent with Tinubu and not Peter Obi, Jada said he decided to pitch tent with the APC presidential candidate because of his immense love and assistance to the north.
“Tinubu is very close to the north than Peter Obi and it is an established fact that inno southerner alive today assisted the north the way Tinubu has done.
“It is on record that Tinubu supported General Shehu Yaradua’s bid to rule Nigeria under the platform of SDP in 1992. He sponsored Atiku’s presidential ambition in Action Congress (AC) in 2007 and also supported Malam Nuhu Ribadu’s presidential bid under Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2011 and supported president Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and 2019. In history, no southerner has extended such gesture to the north like Tinubu.
“Another reason for pitching tent with APC is due to the fact that it has carried my people along in its stride. To the credit of APC government is the construction of the Mayo Belwa – Toungo highway which is the best highway in the north now. In addition, it is the party that considered our peculiarities as a people while fielding its candidates from the senate to the house of assembly positions considering the fact that politics is local.
“The party also incorporated 7 people from Adamawa south senatorial zone in the presidential campaign council and has ensured that the political nuances in religious and ethnic considerations is well balanced,” he said.
When asked why he decided to ditch Atiku despite hailing from the same local government with him, Jada said politics is not about where you come from but about your track record noting that his relationship of over 27 years with Atiku indicated that Atiku has nothing tangible to offer.
“I had relationship spanning over 27 years with Atiku during which he became Nigeria’s most powerful vice president in history. He was virtually in control of the government but failed to bring any solid development to our area. It was during his time that the Mayo Belwa Toungo highway became worst despite the award of rehabilitation contract of the road to Sterling Nigeria Ltd.
“Jada is known for acute water scarcity which necessitated the construction of a dam. But Atiku still awarded the contract to Sterling which belonged to his friend. The company has no track record in building dams and that is how Jada lost out that huge opportunity despite Atiku’s critical position in the government. In addition, the acute water shortage in Jada would have been history had Atiku done his homework very well,” he said.
