Gov Bindow, Nyako, Atiku and the Supreme Court Judgment

Now that Adamawa state Governor Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla Bindow has finally put behind him the Murtala Nyako poorly thought out court cases that have trailed his government for a long time, Adamawa people expect him to assert full authority; put a strong personal stamp on his government and take full responsibility of any actions or inactions of his government; as the doors of excuses of distractions by court cases are now completely closed.

Many are of the opinion that the massive roads rehabilitation, construction and expansions going on in Adamawa is as a result of the ‘fear’ of possible backlash of Nyako court case against Bindow’s government; and also to make a political statement against Nyako, who has a very weak popular support from the masses because during his reign, governance and policy making was centered around his family and his village members. His confidants were third-rate politicians and gold diggers causing a wide-spread disconnect between his government and the ordinary people.

Nyako’s attempt to make a comeback is a nexus of continuing an old political rivalry between himself and former vice president Atiku Abubakar which dates back to 2003; it is also an attempt by the Nyako group to settle personal scores. Above all, the Nyako group still feels betrayed by Governor Bindow and its main political crave is to have Senator Abdul-Aziz Nyako as governor. So, Nyako’s efforts to make a return go beyond completing his remaining 10 months in office as governor.

To be fair to the Nyako group, they definitely have to be aggrieved. In the build-up to the 2015 elections; a very small committee was setup to shop for a saleable governorship candidate- three names emerged- Dahiru Bobbo former Director General of National Boundary Commission, Boss Mustapha, APC chieftain and Tahir Mamman former DG, Law School, Yola campus. Bindow’s name was not even in the list. The Nyako group had to field Bindow during the primaries as they did not have an option, because among all the contenders, it was only Bindow who openly opposed Nyako’s impeachment and the group felt they could be at home with him. Atiku, in his political reasoning opted for Ibrahim Yayaji Mijinyawa, probably because of loyalty. In fact, the APC governorship primary election was a contest between Atiku and Nyako. Governor Bindow won ‪ the APC governorship primaries solely by relying on former governor Nyako’s political structures. And twice, Bindow beat Atiku Abubakar’s preferred candidate, Yayaji Ibrahim Mijinyawa in the primaries. But Atiku now pull the strings.

Some political observers are of the view that Governor Bindow appears ‘self-assured’ in the murky waters of Adamawa politics, because he thinks, once one has Atiku’s group by his side- most political opponents can easily be dealt with because of Atiku’s immense war chest and history of successes in political legal battles that easily scares off his opponents.

Both supporters and antagonists of Adamawa state governor, share a common view - that governor Bindow has performed well so far, and he is doing well especially, in terms of infrastructure development. But Mr. Bindow has also failed woefully, notably in the political arena- he made a political blunder in his failure to manage the widening division within his own party and the growing disconnect between him and some political bigwigs in the state. Governor Bindow erred by sidelining many members of the legacy parties- ACN, CPC and the ANPP. The only political bigwig the governor rollicks with is former vice president Atiku Abubakar. In fact, the governor and his few lieutenants have cornered everything. Other important stakeholders are just doing ‘siddon look’.

With the Nyako court cases closed, in few months, we will see Bindow’s true face. Will he prove his critics right and his supporters wrong?

Zayyad I. Muhammad Jimeta, Adamawa State, zaymohd@yahoo.com 08036070980