By George Kushi
With only a few days left before the supplementary elections forced on Adamawa to hold, a lot of desperate moves have been attempted by the APC, nay the Binani faction of the party that sees nothing wrong in grabbing power “by hook or by crook”.
While the electorate,and even the whole world has awaken to the fact that the daredevil attempt to steal the people’s is failing, a last ditch stance to rubbish our democratic norms and gains is still being waged by a band of desperadoes who think that they are the only ones deserving of the Government House Yola and it is for them.
However, their well planned strategies to win have failed. Their contingency plan to muddle the system by creating bottlenecks is as well fast crumbling before their eyes as the case of Fufore has proved. But not done with that,blinded by an unsatiable thirst for power ,they have failed to toe the honorable path of conceding defeat despite the overwhelming odds against them. Their last resort was to continue to expand their areas of dissatisfaction,within the whole state. Common sense should dictate to all right thinking men and women that a beating all over the state can only mean that the candidate does not measure up to the alternative they have.
The people of Adamawa had a choice to make out of many. Their choice is glaring. Leading with over thirty one thousand votes and with only thirty seven thousand for the grabs in largely PDP strongholds,the APC should graciously have accepted defeat and started preparations against 2027. As a matter of fact, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s victory has been anticipated following his Sterling performance that elicited the support of even politicians from rival parties,including President Muhammadu Buhari.
At all stages of the electoral process in Adamawa state, Binani’s APC has continued to live in a dream world beyond normal human comprehension. All attempts to falsify results and impose an unelected personage met stiff resistance. This however did not deter the desperadoes from pursuing their Quixotic dream
It is very worrisome that the police,other security agencies and the judiciary appear to be lukewarm towards all that is happening. In the face of clear criminality,in a situation of evident culpability, a Residential Electoral Officer has been allowed to continue in office when his position is compromised. By owning to the fact that he was instructed from the “top” to assist “this woman” and not disclosing who gave the despicable instruction continues to baffle many observers. Even more amazing is the fact that with total impunity he continues to superintend the same office despite total distrust and loss of confidence in him;a situation that can lead to a break down of law and order.
The REC himself has identified the fact that he lives in peril. He knows that the electorates are angry with his apparent partiality,yet he is held down ostensibly to complete his side of a bargain that is becoming increasingly elusive.
The fact is that the people of Adamawa will on the 15th of April will come out in the designated areas under the scrutiny of millions of onlookers that will ensure that the right thing is done. For the first time there will be more observers than voters. The number if observers will so overwhelm the riggers who must have to try proving that all voters,thirty-seven thousand in all will come out and vote. They also have the onerous task of ensuring that Binani gets thirty-five thousand of these votes. This can only happen if the living and the dead,the sick and those out of town all participate in the process. This can only happen when mathematically three times four becomes eighty. If this is imposible,then the 15th of April supplementary elections is but only a ritual to fulfill all righteousness as dictated by the laws of the land. The way things stand,it is unthinkable that all these can happen. The combined efforts of a rogue REC and those at the “top” should not tamper with rights of the people nor test their will.
Under the watchful eyes of the people and God’s blessings the people of Adamawa will get what they desired; an elected government under Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.