… vows Tinubu must win as Atiku plots revenge
By Tom Garba
To understand Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, you must first understand Adamawa, a state with a unique political history. Hardly can any Governor successfully hand over power without a political uprising.
The history is there: Boni Haruna could not hand over to Murtala Nyako because of deep crisis; only his deputy, Senator Bello Tukur, handed over. Admiral Murtala Nyako himself, a former Naval Chief, was literally impeached in a dramatic fashion. Senator Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla Bindow faced a gang-up of internal APC fracas, cabals who collaborated with the opposition to fight him down. The handover to Governor Fintiri in 2019 was carried out by Engr Martins Babale, his Deputy Governor. Adamawa State does not forgive incumbents easily. It consumes them.
It is in this whirlwind that Fintiri emerged.
Fintiri’s political journey is itself a story of pits and gallops. As Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, he was a young, assertive parliamentarian. When the impeachment of Governor Murtala Nyako happened in July 2014, Fintiri, by constitutional provision, became Acting Governor. He held the state for about three months, stabilizing a volatile polity.
He tried in 2015 but lost. He galloped back in 2019 and defeated an incumbent Governor, Senator Bindow. That victory was not ordinary. It was against all odds, against federal might. He repeated it in 2023 when Senator Aishatu Ahmed Binani gave him the political beating of his life in a highly contested, dramatic election that went into a supplementary poll and a controversial declaration that tested the nation’s democracy. Fintiri held the mandate, which many believed he was holding with all sense of fairness and people’s will.
If Adamawa is judged by physical transformation, Fintiri will be rated high. Very high I must say. His eight years will be remembered for:
The Bridges and Roads Governor- From Yola, JImeta precisely Which the administrative centre stage of leadership to Mubi, Girei to Ganye, Fintiri constructed roads across the 21 Local Government Areas. He broke the jinx of no flyover in Adamawa with mega projects – the first overhead bridge and flyover North East region was constructed in Jimeta. The credit goes to Fintiri, the second flyover at Mubi Roundabout, and several other bridges that have eased traffic and beautified the state
Health and Civil Service Revamp-Building hospitals in some few LGAs, revamping General Hospitals, and most importantly, revamping the civil service sector. He cleared the rot of non-payment, introduced regular payment of salaries, bonuses, Sallah welfare, 13th-month bonuses, and promotion arrears. Civil servants who were demoralized are now motivated. He cleared backlog of pension and gratuities in billions of Naira. A right thinking Man must say a big bravo to this Man called Fintiri.
Mega Projects like the ongoing construction of the International Conference Centre, a world-class project, the modern Shopping Complexes, and massive school construction is another ice that breaks the camel’s back. It has never been in the history of the state since its creation and the defunct Gongola State.
Fintiri’s Wallet of Empowerment is his empowerment program runs into billions of Naira. From Business Wallets for women and youths, to support for SMEs, to poverty alleviation programs that touch the grassroots.
The Cultural Liberator: Perhaps his most daring political and historical decision is the creation of New Emirates and Chiefdoms. By doing this, Fintiri broke generational barriers of subjugation of other ethnic nationalities who had been under one hegemony for over a century. For many minorities, he is a hero who gave them identity and freedom.
THE POLITICAL REALIGNMENT – THE BIGGEST PIT
But leadership is not just about projects. It is about alliances. And here lies Fintiri’s most controversial gallop.
Fintiri left the PDP, the political party that gave him the morsels and cakes, buttered his bread, made him a renowned politician at national level. The party that gave him ticket in 2019 and 2023. More painful to many is his dumping of people like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who stood for him when he needed him most. Atiku was the national pillar behind him during the Binani storm. Today, Atiku is the Presidential Candidate of the ADC, and Fintiri has openly endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
For many in Adamawa, especially Atiku’s loyalists, this open endorsement is seen as an insult and a slap. The question being asked in every tea joint from Yola to Mubi is: Why can’t Fintiri stand for Atiku this time around that Atiku needs him most?
His loyalty to the ruling APC has made him break ties with many in the party. Chief Maurice Vunobolki and others are now fighting him tooth and nail to get the seat of power.
THE 2027 HURDLE – CAN HE HANDOVER SUCCESSFULLY?
Fintiri’s ambition of becoming a Senator representing Adamawa Northern Zone is a challenge he must stand strong to win. The zone is heavily contested.
Parties like ADC, PDP, LP are evidently strong and fighting back. They want to get him out of the way.
A raging whirlwind of crisis may engulf the political stage of Adamawa, and Fintiri may be at the center of it. History shows that if the voting pattern follows what it used to be, opposition may win. Adamawa is a funny state where anything can happen. The dynamism, the intrigues, and the political hullabaloo can be very and highly unpredictable.
THE ADVANTAGES HE HOLDS
Yet, Fintiri has advantages no former Governor had:
- He is the incumbent Governor.
- He is now with the ruling party at the center – the APC.
- He controls the state structure.
- He has tangible achievements to campaign with.
There are high certainties and assurances that APC may win the election in 2027 because of federal might. But in Adamawa, federal might failed in 2019. It failed in 2023. Will it succeed in 2027?
His recent birthday to Mark his 59th year old has made him a star. Leaders across the countries including the former Vice President Yemi Oshinbonjo was the guest’s speaker and spoke well of him and leadership giant strides he will leave behind as a legacy. The best part of the event I cherish most is the foundation he unveiled to support the less privileged and the downtrodden. It’s a respect for him I kept so dear to my chest. I pray it will outlive him and his generation yet unborn.
ALL EYES ON ADAMAWA
In 2027, it is all eyes on Adamawa State. It is a battle of two vows: Fintiri has vowed to return Tinubu elected, and Atiku has vowed to win elections against all odds in Nigeria, particularly in Adamawa, his home state.
Can Fintiri break the jinx and hand over successfully to his successor? Can he navigate the pits he dug by leaving PDP, the falls from breaking with Atiku, and gallop over the bridges he built?
If he does, he will be the first Governor in recent history to successfully complete two terms and hand over on his own terms in Adamawa’s crisis-ridden politics. If he fails, he will join the list of Governors consumed by Adamawa’s unpredictable political furnace.
The next 4 months will decide.
.Tom Garba ANIPR, SPSP, a Policy, Political and Crisis Analyst, writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State
