THE political atmosphere in Adamawa State has remained charged since Saturday following speculation that the name of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Suleiman Umar, popularly known as Omarana, has been replaced with that of Modibbo Hamman Tukur Ribadu on the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
News Point Nigeria reports that all political parties were expected to upload the names of their governorship and State Assembly candidates by Saturday, August 8, in what was expected to be the final decision of the parties on the matter, but the deadline was later extended to Tuesday, August 11.
Umar’s position became shaky following the exit of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, from the party, as he was said to be the one who insisted on Umar as the party’s candidate, despite the reported preference of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for another aspirant.
Following Babachir’s departure from the party, there were indications that the Atiku Abubakar camp might take its pound of flesh by replacing Umar with another aspirant, following the criticism directed at the former vice president by Babachir after leaving the party.
The former SGF, in a statement on his verified social media page yesterday, raised the alarm that Umar had been replaced with a candidate who would do the bidding of the former vice president.
He claimed that the ADC national secretariat had succumbed to the pressure of the former vice president and uploaded the name of Tukur Modibbo instead on the INEC portal.
When INEC announced that it had pasted the cleared candidates and their credentials from various political parties on notice boards across the states, News Point Nigeria correspondents visited the INEC Adamawa State office but could not find the list of governorship candidates.
The correspondents were informed that the list was not yet ready from INEC headquarters in Abuja.
When our correspondents contacted the Atiku Media Office for a response, they were referred to the National Vice Chairman, North-East, Daniel Bwala, to respond to the development.
Bwala, however, declined to comment, saying he would issue a statement later.
The development has further deepened the crisis in the ADC in Adamawa State, which is expected to be one of the strongholds of the party, given that it is the home state of its presidential candidate.
The internal wrangling began in the state chapter during the composition of members of the party’s state executive council, when the party became factionalised, with three persons, Comrade Shehu Yohannah, Alhaji Saidu Komsori and Ibrahim Sadiq Dasin — laying claim to the chairmanship of the party.
Political heavyweights said to be behind the different interests included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former SGF David Lawan Babachir and Senator Aisha Ahmed Dahiru, popularly known as Binani.
Binani and David Babachir, however, left the party at different times in protest.
There have also been speculations in the political arena for some time that some stakeholders in the party were uncomfortable with Omarana as the party’s flag bearer and had allegedly been working secretly for his replacement until the issue became a major matter within the party.
However, the campaign organisation of the ADC governorship candidate in Adamawa State, Amb. Engr. Umar Suleiman, issued a statement insisting that Umar remains the candidate of the party amid reports of the alleged adoption of Modibbo Hamman Tukur Ribadu as the party’s new candidate.
The statement came on the heels of social media posts portraying Ribadu as the new candidate of the party, ostensibly after the National Working Committee resolved issues relating to the party’s governorship primary in his favour.
In a strongly worded position, the campaign office described the narrative as baseless and unfounded, urging party members and supporters to disregard it, saying it had no basis in law or democracy.
The statement, signed by elder Mark Wosi, Director-General of the Omarana campaign, insisted that the ADC governorship candidate emerged through the party’s recognised primary process and continued to enjoy the confidence of supporters across Adamawa State.
It warned that attempts to undermine the outcome of the primary could create unnecessary tension within the party and distract the ADC from its preparations for the election.
Wosi also called on the party’s leadership and stakeholders to uphold internal democracy and respect the outcome of the primary, stressing that the credibility of the ADC’s electoral process must remain paramount.
According to the campaign office, Omarana’s political project remains anchored on its “Adamawa That Works” agenda, with emphasis on inclusive governance, human capital development, economic empowerment and grassroots development.
It urged supporters not to be distracted by unverified claims, assuring them that the campaign would continue its engagements with voters across the state’s 21 local government areas.
However, another piece said to have been written by one Aminu Iyawa, titled “Has ADC Produced A Game-Changer to Adamawa Guber Race?”, claimed that INEC had successfully uploaded the name of Modibbo Hamman Tukur Ribadu and his deputy governorship candidate on its official portal.
Efforts to speak with the leadership of the party were unsuccessful.
An official of the party, who pleaded anonymity, told Daily Trust that the state chapter could not say anything on the matter, adding that the national headquarters of the party in Abuja was also maintaining that it was waiting for further instructions from the national body.
Ambassador Suleiman Umar, when contacted, replied to an SMS message from our correspondent, saying: “As you said, speculation for now. By tomorrow (Monday) we will get the facts. I have saved your number. Will contact you. I will make press release.”
Modibbo Hamman Tukur Ribadu was the pioneer Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), having been appointed by the late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
Before then, he had worked with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), where he rose through the ranks to the position of Assistant Director before he was nominated by President Buhari and subsequently approved by the Senate to head the then newly established agency.
The National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, also did not respond to a message sent to him on the matter.
The latest development has therefore left the ADC governorship ticket in Adamawa State hanging between competing claims, with the Omarana campaign insisting that he remains the recognised candidate while reports persist that Ribadu’s name has been uploaded on the INEC portal.
With the deadline for the submission of candidates extended to Tuesday, August 11, attention is now focused on the ADC national leadership and INEC for clarification on the actual status of the party’s governorship ticket in Adamawa.