Tongues are wagging in Adamawa State over the interest of Dr. Mahmoud Halilu, a brother to the wife of the president, Dr. Aisha Buhari to run for governorship under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
But the plans by Mahmoud, better known as Modi to unseat Governor Jibrilla Bindow, who is from Adamawa North Senatorial District is causing ripples within the state, especially as there are talks that he is relying on Abuja to clinch APC’s ticket.
It is still unclear if the First Lady is backing Mahmoud whose many electronic bill boards have flooded Yola.
Nation reports that if Mahmoud is supported to pick governorship ticket in the APC, the governor who is in control of the party’s structure, may have to use another party to seek re-election in 2019.
Frontline News Online reliably gathered that the glaring threat coming from the brother of the First Lady is the main reason a jittery Bindow is kicking against direct primaries in APC Adamawa and has instructed big wigs in the party to insist on the old way of delegates picking the party’s candidate.
There are fears of an impending implosion in the APC as Gov. Bindow, a former governorship candidate, Marcus Nada Gundiri, a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes( EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and Senator Ahmad Abubakar Mo’Allahyidi, who currently represents Adamawa South Senatorial District and Mahmoud are all interested in contesting for the governorship ticket.
All attempts to convince Mahmoud to drop his governorship ambition has failed according to Nation.
“APC in Adamawa has a big challenge at hand. There is tension ahead of our primaries. We do not want Governor Bindow to defect to PDP but Mahmoud Halilu, who is a younger brother to the First Lady is insisting on seeking the governorship ticket.
“He has all his posters in Yola. A graduate of Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, he has no known political pedigree except that he belongs to the First Family and carries that about.
“He is not known in any political cycle in Adamawa. He had attempted to previously contest for a seat in the House of Representatives on the platform of the defunct CPC only to chicken out.
“Under the current dispensation, he toyed with the idea of intimidating the party and Bindow by pressurizing them to assure him of a ticket to contest for Senate but he failed to actualize it.
“We are suspecting that he is challenging the incumbent governor for refusing to do his bidding”, Nation quoted a source as saying.
“Although the governor has control of the party’s structure, he might be helpless if there is an order from above because the court has ruled that the party has the final say on any ticket.
“Our greatest fear is the likelihood of losing Bindow to PDP or any other party if he is denied APC re-election slot”, the source added.
The Nation
