From Umar Dankano, Yola
The emergence of Senator representing Adamawa Central senatorial district, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, fondly nicknamed “BINANI” as the 2023 elections gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Adamawa state has raised hopes for the first female governor in the history of Nigeria’s democracy.
This expectation is also challenged by uncertainty in equal proportion as to whether the serving Senator can indeed weather the storm in view of the political realities in her state of Adamawa.
Nigeria is touted as the largest democracy in Africa, but until now, it has never produced a female candidate for a governorship election, let alone an elected female governor. Kenya for instance, unlike Nigeria, currently has seven serving female governors.
Kenya in August 2022 swore-in seven female governors after the country conducted its elections earlier in the month. The women make up 45 of the governors in the East African nation. Reports indicate that over 20 female candidates had vied for the governorship posts. The governors were sworn in by judges appointed by Kenya’s first female Chief Justice Martha Koome.
“I commit to satisfactory service delivery, an all-inclusive government geared toward realizing remarkable milestones in good governance and development,” one of the new governors, Gladys Wanga, had tweeted after her swearing-in.”God bless Kenya, God bless Homabay, “ she was quoted as saying.
In Adamawa Nigeria, political analysts and pundits are contemplating the possibilities for Binani to make history as the first female executive governor if elected in Nigeria’s political history.
A little search into Nigeria’s political history has revealed that since independence in 1966,there wasn’t any elected female governor but only that of Anambra and Kaduna States,who acted briefly due to circumstances, Mrs Virginia Ngozi Etiaba served as “Acting Governor” from 3rd November 2006 to February 6th 2007 when Governor Peter Obi was impeached in Anambra state.
Similarly,in Kaduna state when Governor Nasiru Ahmad El-Rufa’i was diagnosed and tested positive for COVID 19 virus during the pandemic lockdown in 2019 then his deputy,Her Excellency Hadizah Sabuwa Balarabe acted for few months into year 2020 as Governor of the State. And now, we have Binani as the only female governorship candidate in the country.
Senator Aishatu Binani is an entrepreneur turned politician who was born on the 11th August,1971 to the family of Alhaji Dahiru Yola,who was elected as member House of Representatives representing Yola North Yola South and Girei federal constituency under the People’s Democratic Party,PDP from 2011-2015 where she served meritoriously by provision of infrastructural projects with direct bearing on her constituents.A situation that attracted attention to her capabilities of good governance in the state.
In 2019 Senator Binani after wide consultation with her political associates defeated to the All Progressives Congress,APC which accorded her easy ride in to the 9th Assembly during the 2019 general elections as she stand as the chairperson,Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals,SDG’s and serving in other committees in various capacities.
As a federal law maker from her state,Some of her contributions in bringing devidends of democracy to her constituents such as upgrading of Federal Medical Centre Yola to Modibbo Adama Teaching Hospital ,Facilitation of establishment of Federal Medical Centre Mubi,Dredging of River Benue up to Wuro-bokki and Conversion of Modibbo Adama University of Technology(MAUTECH) to a conventional University, Modibbo Adama University(MAU) Yola among many others are believed by political pundits to be reason for her wide acceptability across the state.
A political analyst,Hon. Maulud Usman Jimeta viewed Binani as a God sent agent in addressing many challenges facing humanity not minding the political differences especially when it comes to protecting what belongs to her constituency from all channels being it,Federal projects,appointment opportunity as well as assisting her people from her personal purse.
Usman Jimeta opined that the 2023 election is going to be a walk out for with the track records to her credit noting that the electorate can only reciprocate by voting her massively come Saturday 11th March 2023 as the next governor for the state so that she can do more for them(electorate).
Another inspirational characteristic seen in her candidacy by many is her emergence as the Adamawa APC governorship flag bearer after earning 430 votes in the party’s governorship primaries to defeat six (6) male opponents including political heavyweights like Former Action Congress Presidential candidate and former EFCC pioneer chairman,Mallam Nuhu Ribadu who scored 288 votes,Former Governor Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla Bindow who got 103 votes.
Others she crushed in the contest were Former Spokesman of the House of Representatives,Hon Abdulrazak Namdas with his 94 votes,Former State Assembly member representing Hong Constituency,Hon Therman Wafari and Engineer Umar Mustapha Madawaki(Otumba of Ekiti) recked 39 and 34 votes respectively.
Despite the little set back experienced as a result of legal suit against her emergence instituted by Mal.Nuhu Ribadu when on the 14th October,2022 when Federal Court Yola nullified Binani’s candidacy under APC in the state declaring that the party will not fill candidate in the 2023 Gubernatorial race but both petitioners and defendants in the suit are free to appeal.
However,the court of Appeal Yola presided over by Justice Tani Yusuf Hassan among other justices quashed the lower court judgement saying it acted in error of law and that Senator Binani remains the recognised candidate of her party.A development that was received with maximum jubilations across the 21 LGA’s by Party faithfuls,supporters and her admirers.
Allegations of the under hand interference allegedly by the Incumbent Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri administration there by using internal forces with in the APC to create confusion and disharmony among party members and the refusal of his government to release the famous Mahmoud Ribadu square for her governorship state campaign rally are seen as a booster to candidacy.
Some are of the belief that since her winning at the court of Appeal and subsequently launching her statewide campaign with the public acceptance in almost all the 21 local councils, she has been giving Gov.Fintiri and his team sleepless nights forcing him to drop his deputy governor, chief Crowther Seth and changing him with a female and former Vice chancellor of the Adamawa state University Mubi (ADSU), Professor Kalepapwa Farauta to give a sense to womenfolk.
Hosting of the presidential and Governorship campaign rally jointly with the presence of President Muhammadu Buhari and president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu with many heavyweights from the national level sends serious message to all the political gladiators in Adamawa politics that Senator Binani is out for a vigorous fight for the Dougirei Hills government house Yola.
In his remarks at the rally held at the newly constructed Muhammadu Buhari’s square opposite Yola International airport on the 9th January,2023,President Buhari charged APC teeming supporters and electorate to vote massively for Binani so as to make history of becoming first female Governor in the history of the country.
Buhari assured the public that with the track records of Binani,she will no disappoint and therefore should be given the golden opportunity for her to prove her worth saying that her ten points agenda has cover the yearnings of her people if implemented.
Corroborating her former colleague in the red chambers,Senator Abdulaziz Nyako at a political gathering recently in Yola attested that Senator Binani is workaholic and results getter reiterating that voting for her as Governor will bring more development to the state.
Nyako said he believes she in most times use her personal earnings to do many projects scattered across her constituency urging the electorate to support her candidacy for good of every one.
Upon all these testimonies another school of thought is viewing its assertion on religious and cultural perspective, advancing that being a woman,her candidacy is defective because religion and culture brown at such moves due certain considerations especially from the Northern part of the country where she comes from.
According to her line of programmes and policies for the people if given the mandate tagged “the Binani manifesto ten-point action plan”.She promised achieve agricultural and rural transformation,provision of healthcare services,Human capital development,poverty alleviation through investing in people,and promotion of peace and social justice.
Others include resuscitation of the skills acquisition centres,urban renewal,Digital economy and innovations,Youths,sports and culture as well as providing good governance stressing that “people are the greatest assets of a nation.We would provide them access to education,develop their environment and see them grow to prosperity.This is my commitment.
“I am a worker not a talker,I say what I do and do what I say,my word is my bond.Most times more is done than promised but never less.It is therefore in this light that I say vote for me as your next Governor on the 11th March 2023”.Binani appealed.
