.Girei is building APC’s 226-ward machine to give huge gap against opposition In Adamawa
By Tom Garba
By any objective political measurement in Adamawa State, the 2027 presidential contest will be a battle of home advantage versus federal structure. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, now the presidential candidate of the ADC, enjoys an ancestral and emotional hold on Adamawa. To break that hold requires more than slogans – it requires a grassroots machine. That is where Hon. Salihu Mohammed, popularly known as Abba Girei, enters the equation.
The Renewed Hope Coordinator As A Political Machine
Abba Girei is the State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the All Progressives Congress, APC. A businessman and former member of the House of Representatives for Yola South, Yola North and Girei Federal Constituency, he brings to the assignment a wealth of grassroots politicking, gimmicks and schemes that define Adamawa politics.
His removal from the Green Chamber over what his supporters describe as a flimsy court-sponsored agenda by political opponents did not diminish his political capital. If anything, it amplified it. Till date, political observers in the constituency argue that his absence has created a vacuum his successor has not been able to fill in terms of presence, empowerment and impact.
The 226-Ward Structure
What makes Abba Girei different is not just mobilization, but micro-management of the political space.
Sources close to his camp reveal a deliberate structure that targets all 226 wards in Adamawa State, with each polling unit to be manned by APC staunch loyalists. It is a 24/7 political operation designed to woo voters, sway undecideds and convert Atiku loyalists in his own backyard.
In a state where elections are won at the unit level, this ward-to-unit penetration is critical. Abba Girei’s network, built during his time in the House and sustained through business and philanthropic ties across the three LGAs of his former constituency, gives him reach across Central Adamawa – the most contested senatorial zone in the state.
Why Tinubu’s Path Looks Nearer
Abba Girei’s political strength lies in three factors:
1. Grassroots Recall: He is remembered as a representative who did well for Yola South, Yola North and Girei, which gives him credibility when he canvasses.
2. Sagacity and Strategy: He operates as a political tactician who understands both elite alignment and street-level mobilization.
3. Loyalty Network: He has knitted together support, loyalty and goodwill for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu among diverse stakeholders, making the Renewed Hope agenda a mobilizer machine rather than just a slogan.
With operators like him holding the helms of affairs for the APC in Adamawa, Tinubu’s victory is looking more certain than it was months ago, with the potential to create a huge gap between him and Atiku in vote margins.
The Final Calculation: Can Atiku Be Defeated At Home?
Atiku Abubakar may not see the light of victory in Adamawa in 2027 with the likes of Abba Girei in the APC. The plan is clear: ensure Atiku loses his state of origin to Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the ADC, thereby puncturing the narrative of invincibility at home.
If Abba Girei succeeds in delivering the 226 wards structure and maintaining polling unit dominance, Adamawa will move from being an ancestral fortress for Atiku to a battleground state where Tinubu can secure a landslide through local sagacity backed by federal might.
In Adamawa’s fluid politics, Abba Girei has emerged as the man determined to dispel home advantage with grassroots advantage.
. Garba is a Political analyst and writes from Yola
