By Tom Garba, Yola
It’s two years and a few months to the 2027 general elections when the Presidential and Governorship elections will be conducted and the 29th May oath-taking and swearing-in will also be administered to successful candidates.
The Governor of Adamawa State, Rt Hon Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, CON has already given a glimpse of who would become the next Governor of the State.
An Adamawa grassroots politician, Mohammed Abdullahi Dantsoho, has recalled the statement of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri while addressing 226 wards chairmen and local and state executive members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on a solidarity visit to him at Government House, Yola: “My Successor Must Be A Grassroot Politician.”
Dantsoho praised Fintiri’s foresight and his political acumen to build an energetic party system of PDP in the state by asserting that a grassroot politician is what will suit the political terrain of the State.
According to Dantsoho one of the reasons Governor Fintiri worn his first and second bids it’s because of his grassroots intuitiveness to politics and adamant in rooting out his political ideas, ideals with people at the grassroots.
Dantsoho therefore said Fintiri has hinted the people of Adamawa the kind of person they should rally round and jettison political jobbers who are merchants, merchandising others to make gains.
He said the names of people already making waves, glamouring and snipping the good cents of Adamawa State government House to be the next Governor like Senator Ishaku Abbo, Dr Maurice Vunobolki, Honorable Adamu Atiku Abubakar, Hon Wafari Theman, Abdulrahaman Bashir Haske, Hon Wakili Boya and Senator Iya Abbas are known grassroots politicians who have paid the price over the years.
He gave example of Abbo who is a Former Senator and won election twice, Maurice who over a decade contested the Governorship office before even Fintiri still has network of politicians across the 21 LGAs could do that others already mentioned spent years working behind the scene and openly worked for people in the grassroots. Haske for example over the years has been building empire of Youths across the state, empowering on diverse needs, Abbas is a sitting Senator have finished a four year term of speakership while Boya is on board, driving and charting the radar of Fufore and Song constituency in the national assembly. The lists is endless. But others didn’t fit in this category.
Dantsoho however said people Like Caleb Andrew Myebangara, a branch Manager of Jimeta Zenith Banks are seems to be wasting his time in looking for the number one seat of Adamawa State government.
He eliminated Caleb and others who are new timers trying to maneuver their ways and themselves to the system and gain the support of politicians without having a noticeable service to the people at the grassroot. He said they can easily become the ‘hit and run politicians ‘ because they have less value for people in the grassroots.
He said that Caleb might not value them if by chance he win the election, that he didn’t pass through the eye of a niddle in his political journey. He has been in the banking system as a financial expert and came from the blues to win the election is never advisable to all rooted politician with stink of grassroot affiliation.
He advised Caleb to stay put and stay back, learn the rudiments of grassroots politics, and embark on the journey to a thorough breed politician that will learn and get the experience of the good, the bad and the ugly experience of politics. For now he consider his billboards in the streets of Yola and the online campaigns he commenced as a waste of time and resources.
He said Caleb should be wary of those floating around him and promising him heaven and earth with assurance of making him win the next Governorship election.
” It’s a scam way by those who have seen him a political novice to swindle him of his money , resources and wealth.” He Dantsoho said
He gave a history of Adamawa State political journey that no Governor came in the plater of gold, he must be a grassroots politician to have a head way.
He said in 1999 Boni Haruna first tenure was because of Atiku Abubakar’s grassroot connections and he consolidated his second tenure because he served the grassroots people. He also revealed that Murtala Nyako despite the imposition by the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo through the instrumental initiative plans of senator Jibril Aminu, his support for the grassroots as a Mechanized farming gave him an edge. While Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla Bindow served the people of Adamawa State as a Senator from the Northern zone. A touch of grassroots connection with people that a politician like Caleb is in dire need of as he is just a starter in the journey of politics.
According to him also, aside of Caleb’s lacking in the grassroot kind of politics, that the Banker Man has jumped high and he could break into pieces by the time he touches ground to must have taken a strategy of wanting to be the next Governor of Adamawa State from nowhere, with no connection whatsoever from the people at the basement of Adamawa politics to be the next Governor.
He envisaged that someone somewhere else might have given Caleb impetus confidence and the political temerity assurance of winning elections. An idea Dantsoho said is deceptive and a near impossible.
According to him that scenario can certainly work in other States,but Adamawa is a funny state when it comes to the fact of who becomes the next Governor of the state. It always has a dramatize way the political game players displays even a sitting Governor most atimes become a spectator and cannot assure him of winning elections.
He said Fintiri only assured PDP members to present a grassroot politician that they may like and probably have him win the ticket during party’s internal politics (Primaries), the rest Dantsoho said Governor Fintiri don’t have a hundred percent control of it because of the divergence interest of political stakeholders of the state have and the fact that many party are involve in the game.
“Fintiri’s Story of how he became the Governor in 2019 and how he narrowly win the election of 2023, one will only agree that it’s a God factor that played the game behind the scene used Stakeholders of both Parties to support him because he has been a grassroot politician,” Dantsoho stated
He recalled the Hudu Drama, the Bindow inability to win his second bid, Boni Haruna left State unceremoniously without handing power because his enemies in politics wanted to cajole him to a mockery that will make him look stupid and Nyako ended up impeached and dumped to face court litigations and he doesn’t see the tides turning out different this time around.
Even if it’s turning out in favor of Fintiri to decide who becomes the next Governor of Adamawa State, Dantsoho said he will have stiff resistance if he dare present Caleb as a Candidate for the ruling party because is not a grassroot politician.
