Opinion
As Binani Engaged Fintiri In a Language He Understands
By Andrew Agbese
With what happened in the last few days in Adamawa, a fresher to the politics of the Northeastern state would be justified to assume that the governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri is a saint who nearly fell victim to the plot by a vicious gang to wickedly oust him from power.
Those versed in the politics of the state, however would agree that Fintiri is hardly the harmless and innocent underdog the current circumstances has made him out to be.
Indeed, if there’s anyone who had shown desperation for power in Adamawa in recent time, it is Fintiri.
Fintiri may savour the moment as an underdog through the desperation shown by the APC candidate, Aisha Dahiru Binani but on a second look, it seems he deserves such rough tackles as he has meted to others in the past.
Way back 2014 Fintiri as speaker of the state House of Assembly was part of the plot to oust then governor, Murtala Nyako.
The move was highly political as it was done mainly to stop Nyako from determining who succeeds him as governor.
But it was done in such a shoddy manner that provided sufficient evidence for Nyako to challenge the impeachment in court.
Nonetheless, the impeachment sailed through and Fintiri became the acting governor because Nyako’s deputy, Bala Ngilari turned in his resignation before he would be swept away in the flood with his boss.
But some months later, Ngilari got judgement in his favour when the court declared his resignation invalid and returned him as substantive governor, ending the three months administration of Fintiri as acting governor.
Two years later, the impeachment was also quashed by the court which ruled that the impeachment of Nyako as governor was not done in accordance with the provisions of the law.
But even after the judgment reinstating Ngilari who hails from the same Madagali Local Government with Fintiri, the latter attempted to hold on to power by making frantic efforts to forstall the swearing in of Ngilari.
This put him on collision course with the new governor when he reverted back as speaker.
He also outfoxed then Majority Leader and Chief Whip of the state Assembly, Salihu Kabilo and Jerry Kumdisi and announced their removal as principal officers before they could move against him.
But it was the role that Fintiri played in trying to secure the ticket of the PDP in 2015 that exposed him as equally desperate.
Within the three months he was in power as acting governor, he was accused of trying to use his position to corner the governorship ticket of the PDP so he could run in 2015.
The extent he went in the bid to clinch the ticket until his sack as acting governor was not the stuff for political sophomores.
Commendably, he remained unrelenting even after the PDP fielded Nuhu Ribadu and the latter lost to APC ‘s Jibrilla Bindo.
This saw him go for the PDP ticket in 2019 when he successfully dislodged Governor Bindo from Government House in the secondary elections.
The recent APC onslaught against Fintiri using Binani in the attempt to dislodge him was more like trying to pay him in his own coins what he did to Bindo.
But the way it was handled, beatified the governor while sheening him in the garb of a pitiful underdog who was nearly mauled by a pitiless and callous posse.
With the benefit of hindsight however, it can be said that most of the tactics employed by Binani in the just concluded elections were not strange to Fintiri coupled with the fact both share similar political backgrounds.
Like Fintiri, Binani was in the parliament (Senate) before contesting as governor.
She has also shown the same level of tenacity by venturing into areas where others had failed.
When she defeated Nuhu Ribadu and others to clinch the APC ticket, it was almost unbelievable, just as Fintiri also ousted a sitting governor in the 2019 election.
She gained public sympathy due to her gender as a possible first female governor in Nigeria, the same way Fintiri attracted sympathy on account of his being from a minority ethnic group in Adamawa and belonging to an opposition party at the national level.
When Binani was alleged to use money to prosecute her election, it was not far from the allegations leveled against Fintiri in 2014 in his bid to secure his party’s nomination and, when an INEC official announced her as winner of the election midway into collation of results, she could be said to be implementing what she must have noted in her scrap book where Fintiri outmanoeuvred PDP stakeholders in Adamawa to emerge top runner in the race for the governorship ticket for 2015 until he was checkmated.
By holding the votes down in the just concluded exercise to necessitate a supplementary election, Binani was reenacting what transpired between Bindo and Fintiri in 2019 when the election was declared inconclusive at a stage and a runoff ordered.
All Binani tried to do by employing unconventional tactics to fight Fintiri were therefore not strange to the governor.
The APC candidate only failed to cap it all by winning the election which would have placed her on the same pedestal with Fintiri who defeated an incumbent in 2019.
But in all, Binani had shown she’s capable of talking to Fintiri in a language he understands.
Ken Nnamani, a former president of the senate, says he did not beg Elisha Abbo, a former senator representing Adamawa north, on behalf of any judge after the ex-lawmaker lost his election case in court.
In October 2023, the court of appeal sacked Abbo and declared Amos Yohanna, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of the Adamawa north senatorial election.
Appearing on Channels Television on Wednesday, Abbo said he was a victim of “miscarriage of justice”.
The former senator said Nnamani pleaded with him on behalf of a judge after he lost his election case in 2023.
Reacting in a statement, the former senate president described Abbo’s claim as “blatant lies”.
“My greatest surprise was to hear him state that Senator Ken Nnamani visited him to plead with him on behalf of a judge for the miscarriage of justice. This statement is a blatant lie. I do not know how Senator Abbo can boldly fabricate an event that never happened to buttress his allegation of judicial miscarriage against him,” he said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I have never visited Senator Elisha Abbo at his house or anywhere. Up to this moment, I do not know where he lives. I have never discussed with him about his case, or any case pending or decided by any court of law in Nigeria.
“The only time I met with him was when he visited me in my house. It was more of a social visit by him. At this meeting, we never discussed his case or any case. I recall that when the matter of his political career came up, I advised him to avoid controversies as a young politician.
“The statements Senator Abbo made regarding me and his case are all fabrications. I believe I have had a sterling and distinguished public service career. I am determined to maintain my integrity and commitment to excellence till the end of my life.”
Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state for petroleum resources, says the federal government plans to commence implementing the drill-or-drop provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Section 94 of the PIA gives operators a period of three years to begin oil production or relinquish the assets to the federal government.
Speaking during the Cross Industry Group (CIG) meeting held on Tuesday in Florence, Italy, Lokpobiri said it is in the best interest of the country that all inactive wells go to work.
He said the federal government, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, has provided every necessary incentive to ensure international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria run smoothly and profitably.
“Now, it is imperative for these industry players to match the government’s efforts with increased investment by announcing final investment decisions (FIDs),” he said.
Furthermore, Lokpobiri discussed “the challenges, expectations, and measures to enhance the sector’s contributions towards domestic energy needs and regional expansion across Sub-Saharan Africa”.
He emphasised that while IOCs have highlighted engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors as a challenge, “EPCs will not come unless they see strong commitments from industry players”.
“The government has done its part to provide the requisite and investment-friendly fiscals, the ball is now in the court of the IOCs and other operators to make strategic investment decisions that will drive increased production and sustainability in the sector,” he said.
“We must also recognise that domestic crude supply is essential to national energy security. The best solution to this challenge lies in increasing production, which will ensure a balance between domestic supply obligations and external commitments.”
The minister further urged industry players to explore collaborative measures, such as shared resources for contiguous assets and the release of underutilised assets to operators ready to invest in production.
The Progressive Students Movement (PSM), a leading Pan-African student body, has commended the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in Ogun State under Commissioner of Police (CP) Lanre Ogunlowo, PhD, for its commitment to security and community engagement.
In a statement released on Thursday, the President of PSM Nigeria, Comrade Ambassador Okereafor Bestman, highlighted the CP’s efforts in strengthening collaboration between the police, stakeholders, and other security agencies to maintain peace and stability in the state.
“It is worthy of note that CP Lanre Ogunlowo, PhD, has further fostered a harmonious working synergy between the police, stakeholders, and other security agents aimed at ensuring peace and tranquility in Ogun State,” Okereafor said.
The student leader expressed confidence in CP Ogunlowo’s leadership, stating that Ogun State is on track to becoming one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria under his administration.
He also praised the professionalism and dedication of the Ogun State Police Command in tackling crime, regardless of its scale.
Additionally, PSM acknowledged the Ogun State government’s continued support for security agencies, particularly in providing mobility and logistics to enhance their operational efficiency.
The commendation comes at a time when security remains a top priority for residents and authorities in the state, with ongoing efforts to curb crime and ensure public safety.