A REJOINDER TO THE PRESS INTERVIEW GRANTED BY SENATOR GRACE BENT, CON.
Our attention has been drawn to a recent Press interview credited to Senator Grace Bent in which she made spurious allegations against His Excellency Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, the Executive Governor of Adamawa State and the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Adamawa State Chapter. It would not have been necessary to respond to the content of the interview but for the mis-representation of facts contained therein.
It is imperative to state that among the political gladiators in Adamawa State, no one has enjoyed the magnimity of the people than Senator Grace Bent. In 2007, the electorates of the Adamawa Southern Senatorial District voted for her overwhelmingly in preference to Senator Jonathan Silas Zwingina not minding that she was a non-indigene. We are sure that no non-indigene would have been given an opportunity to contest and win even a councillorship seat in the native State of Senator Grace Bent. Senator Grace Bent served in the Senate for one term and based on her performance and antecedent, the electorates of Adamawa Southern Senatorial District decided through the use of the ballot box to replace her.
In 2018, nomination/Expression of Interest Forms were on sale by the Party to those willing to contest elective positions. Senator Grace Bent was among other contestants from Adamawa Southern Senatorial District who obtained the form, for the position of Senator. The Aspirants were Kobis Ari Thimnu, Grace Bent and Binos Dauda Yaroe.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Primaries to select candidates that will represent the Party in the elective positions was held in late 2018. Senator Grace Bent using her connection influenced the setting up of the National Committee from the Headquarters that her blood brother who was a member of the National Committee was posted to the Southern Senatorial District with a mandate to return her as the Senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The primary election was conducted in Numan town being the Adamawa Southern Senatorial District Headquarters. Neither His Excellency Rt. Hon. Ahmadu umaru Fintiri nor the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were there at the venue, it is therefore foolhardy to claim that the duo frustrated Senator Grace Bent’s return to the Senate.
The primary of the Adamawa Southern Senatorial District was conducted in the most transparent manner. The Security Agencies and all critical stakeholders in the Partys primaries process were all present and voting commenced and was completed on record time. In keeping with the guidelines on the conduct of our Party primaries, the results were made manifest in the venue and the scores were as follows:
1. Kobis Ari Thimnu – 189 votes
2. Grace Bent – 322 votes
3. Binos Dauda Yaroe – 408 votes
4. Invalid – 4
_________
Total = 923 votes
The reports of the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Directorate of State Security (DSS) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) authenticating the result of the primaries are there for anyone to verify.
Prior to the 2019 General Election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in the opposition in Adamawa State. The Party had no representative in the National Assembly, no member in the State House of Assembly and no single Councilor, yet the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defeated the incumbent Governor as well as producing majority members in both the National and State Assemblies. Senator Binos Dauda Yaroe who Senator Grace Bent alleged was a new player and imposed by the Party defeated an incumbent APC Senator with overwhelming votes.
Senator Grace Bent can best be described as a desperate politician who can do-away with decorum if only to achieve her personal interest. She should not therefore blame her woes on Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri and the PDP State Chairman. Rather she should retrace her steps with a view to mending her relationship with the electorates from the Southern Senatorial District.
Senator Grace Bent is an ingrate as the same people she described as neither dynamic nor team leaders in the course of the interview were the ones that nominated her as member of the Party’s Board of Trustee (BOT). the content of Senator Grace Bent’s interview is reminiscent of someone who is thinking of an alternative. As a member of the Board of Trustees, she should rather deploy her energy in making our Party bounce back to the center stage at the National level.
Finally, I wish to stress that no one has a hand in denying Senator Grace Bent from clinching the Adamawa Southern Senatorial District ticket.
SIGNED:
Barr. A.T. Shehu
PDP State Chairman
2nd December, 2020.
