Senator representing Adamawa Central in the National Assembly, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed Binani, has been declared the winner of the All Progressive’s Congress (APC) Governorship primaries held on Thursday.
Aishatu the sole female Aspirant defeated other notable APC big wigs including the current Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Army, Honourable Abdulrazak Sa’ad Namdas, former EFCC boss Nuhu Ribadu; former governor and Umar Jibrilla Bindow.
Binani was declared the winner of the highly contested primary on Friday morning at Yola the state capital following the conclusion of votes counting.
Pulling a total of 440 votes as announced by Adamawa State chairman of APC, Ibrahim Bilal, Binani the only female governorship aspirant was declared the winner by the state party Chairman defeating five other male aspirants to clinch the tightly contested Governorship ticket.
Binani defeated other contestants namely; Wafarniyi Theman, Mustapha Umar, Jibrilla Bindow, Senator Abdulrazak Namdas, Otumba and Nuhu Ribadu who also polled 21, 103, 94, 39 and 288 votes respectively.
The Adamawa Central Senator had weeks ago debunked rumours that she had stepped down. The lawmaker made the clarification while addressing delegates and stakeholders of the party separately in Ganye, Jada, Toungo and Mayo-Belwa local governments when she visited the areas within the week.
Following the development, Senator Aishatu Binani is set to slug it out with the incumbent Governor of the state Ahmadu Fintiri who also recently emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate to contest the 2023 election for a second term of office.
If she eventually defeats the Governor in the general gubernatorial polls, Senator Aishatu “Gimbiyar Adamawa” as she is popularly called will become the first elected female Governor in the History of the country.
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“During the governorship rerun in 2019 when everyone left us, you stood by our government you were the only governor who came here and fought until victory was achieved, so we owe you on that front too.”
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Kayode Fayemi Presidential Campaign Organisation and former Deputy National Chairman of the APC, Senator Shuaib Lawal advised the Kano delegates to choose wisely as Nigeria was too divided, lean economically and in a state of war to trust a neophyte into power.
Shuaib Lawal said: “The next president must have capacity, education, intellect, wide network and courage for the country to move forward in the right direction. Our military, economic, religious and cultural disunity means we must not put a neophyte in power.”
Responding, the presidential aspirant promised to address the problems that led to the death of the Kaduna /Kano textile industries by tackling power and insecurity.
“It’s in an atmosphere of peace and unity that we can grow. I’ll retool the military, expand intelligence, increase the use of technology and effectively halt our nation’s match into lawlessness, insurgency and anarchy if elected.
“The Kaduna /Kano textile industry that is also a major source of employment and contributor to the GDP will be revamped. We will also tackle the problem of electricity by breaking down this national grid that’s always collapsing into the zonal grid and micro grids to ensure constant power supply and push the country on the path of industrialisation.”
