Opinion: Fintiri took Atiku to island of relevancy in Adamawa twice.
In recent political dynamics, particularly in the context of Adamawa State, the role of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has been pivotal in sustaining the relevance of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Fintiri’s political strategies have kept Atiku’s influence alive, positioning him at the heart of the state’s political conversations in both the 2019 and 2023 general elections.
It is important to acknowledge the deep historical and political relationship between Atiku Abubakar and Adamawa State. Atiku, being a son of the state, holds considerable political sway for eight years as vice president. However, with the changing political tides, maintaining relevance in a state like Adamawa often proves challenging for Atiku, the current governor of Adamawa, whose political acumen has been crucial in this regard in reviving the forgotten political name of the former vice president from oblivion.
In 2007, the disintegration of Atiku and Obasanjo compelled Atiku to shift his allegiance to the Action Congress (AC), which became his platform. In the 2007 Nigerian presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, who was the candidate of the Action Congress (AC), received a total of 2,637,848 votes.
He ran against the then president, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who ultimately won the election by defeating Atiku in his state of Adamawa. Yar’Adua secured 611,738 votes, while Atiku received a meagre 315,31, despite having a political godson who served as governor at the time.
As of 2023, Atiku Abubakar has contested the Nigerian presidential election four times, excluding 1993, when he contested only in the SDP primary. So, Atiku has contested the presidential election five times, in 1993, 2007, 2019, and 2023, with various political parties during each campaign.
In the 2007 Adamawa State governorship election, Ibrahim Bapatel of the Action Congress (AC) received 94,133 votes, while Murtala Nyako of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won the election with 317,179 votes.
From the above analysis, Atiku and all the governorship candidates of the political platforms he used in contesting elections have never won Adamawa for him, nor as governor, not until the advent of Fintiri as the governorship candidate of the PDP in 2019 and Atiku as the presidential candidate, a feat Fintiri replicated in 2023 by winning the state for Atiku.
Despite Atiku’s outrageous statement from the previous week, he could not deliver his alleged stronghold, which is the Ganye axis for Fintiri in 2023. All names mentioned by Atiku in the viral video cannot boast of a single local government; they deliver 50% of votes cast to their political party.
It was Fintiri’s influence that made Ishaku Abbo win a senate seat in 2019; this is a fellow that contested for a council chairmanship and lost. However, despite Hudu conniving with some unscrupulous element in INEC to add votes to the APC in the governorship election in 2023 by providing a double result sheet to the willing returning officer in some local government, Fintiri went ahead to defeat all the names mentioned by Atiku.
It was the botched plan to falsify Fufore local government results that exposed all the shenanigans of the opposition claim of running neck and neck with Fintiri in some local governments in 2023.
For the umpteenth time, I can’t remember any role played by Atiku in gathering votes for Fintiri in 2023, apart from the press conference in which he cried foul that democracy has been murdered. Let’s not forget that the press conference was after INEC had countered the renegade REC, Hudu Yunusa Ari, the leader of the 2023 junta in Adamawa.
The Adamawa people are with Fintiri day and night as Atiku and his newfound friends, and Hudu was defeated in 2023 and will be defeated if another Hudu is posted to Adamawa again.
In 2023, Fintiri’s role in securing Atiku’s relevance in the state was even more pronounced. Atiku, having run for president again, needed a solid, reliable base of support.
The emergence of political heavyweights like Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi, who also sought the support of the Northern electorate, posed a threat to Atiku’s hold on the region. Fintiri, undeterred by the shifting tides, doubled down on his support for Atiku, even as the political landscape grew more fragmented. His backing helped ensure that Atiku remained a serious contender in Adamawa, and the state remained a battleground that could swing in favour of the former vice president.
Governor Fintiri’s political prowess has been instrumental in keeping Atiku Abubakar relevant in Adamawa State on two occasions. His leadership and ability to navigate complex political terrain have not only sustained the PDP’s dominance in the state but also ensured that Atiku remained an influential figure in Nigerian politics.
Through these strategic alliances and his careful political positioning, Fintiri has effectively taken Atiku to the “island of relevance”, ensuring that he remains a key player in Adamawa’s political landscape.