ADAMAWA DECIDES, OCTOBER 11-2014

As Seen This Morning by NATIONNEWS ONLINE
Adamawa: Anxiety as Jonathan, PDP NWC meet
aspirants
Posted by: Yusuf Alli, Abuja and Barnabas
Manyam, Yola in Featured, News 14 hours ago
President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) National Working
Committee (NWC) will today meet with the 14
aspirants struggling for the party’s Adamawa
State governorship election ticket.
The Presidency is to prevail on the aspirants to
pick a consensus candidate.
The state secretariat of the party was told that
any aspirant who refuses to attend the meeting
will lose the right to participate in the primary
election.
Most of the aspirants have resisted the
pressure to step down for Acting Governor
Umaru Fintiri.
Besides, some of them suspect that the
invitation to Abuja is a plot to hold all the
aspirants hostage in the capital city till Friday
afternoon.
This, they suspect, is to allow delegates vote
for their preferred candidate.
The suspicion was fuelled by the uncovering of
what a source described as a plot to shut down
the Yola International Airport ahead of the
primary election on Saturday.
The aspirants are: Acting Governor Fintiri; Dr.
Ahmed Mohammed Modibbo; Nuhu Ribadu;
Markus Gundiri; Auwal Tukur; Aliyu Idi Hong;
Sen. Abubakar H. Girei; Jerry Kumdisi;
Andrawus Sawa; James Barka; Gen. Aliyu
Kama; Gen. Buba Marwa; Ahmed Gulak, Dr.
Umar Ardo; Jerry Kumdisi and James Barka.
A text message was sent to all the aspirants to
be “at the compulsory meeting”.
A party source said: “ All the aspirants have
been summoned by the President and the NWC
because the situation has shown that the PDP
might go to the October 11 governorship poll as
a divided group.
“Some aspirants are already threatening protest
vote if the primary election is hijacked by forces
in the presidency and some NWC members.
“The tension is building up already and the
presidency and the PDP are deeply worried.”
Some aspirants yesterday said they would not
go by consensus option.
One of the aspirants said: “We want a level-
playing field, we do not like consensus formula.
This is why we have refused to step down for
each other.”
Another aspirant added:”We are already on the
field canvassing for votes from delegates, let
them leave us alone. We do not need
consensus.”
Some of the aspirants have uncovered a plot
that the invitation was part of a move to
tamper with the list of delegates in favour of a
preferred candidate.
One of the aspirants said: “We were asked to
come for the meeting by 9pm on Thursday. But
we got wind of a plot by some forces in the
presidency to hold all the aspirants hostage in
Abuja till Friday afternoon when the meeting
will hold.
“As the meeting holds on Friday, Yola Airport
will be closed. All routes leading to Yola will
also be blocked to deny us access.
“They will then proceed to hold the primary
election in the absence of all aspirants so that
they can manipulate the process for an anointed
aspirant.
“Nigerians should ask them: What is the
rationale for inviting all aspirants for a meeting
on Thursday night when it will be obvious that
we won’t be able to go back to Yola same
night.
“Yet, they want to shut down Yola airspace on
Friday so that we won’t be able to return to
our base. We have all agreed on the list of
delegates but some forces in Abuja are
unhappy. They want to manipulate the process
by altering the list to back an aspirant.”
Despite grumblings about the conduct of the
Ward congress on Monday, some of the
aspirants met in Yola and accepted the results.
Three Adhoc delegates per ward were elected in
a peaceful and orderly manner.
The aspirants in a joint statement in Yola
yesterday described the ward congress as
transparent and substantially in compliance
with the party’s guidelines.
“The pursuant to the above, we (Aspirants)
accept the delegates list resulting from the
ward congresses to be used for the September
6th state congress for the election of the
party’s flag bearer in the 2014 bye-election for
the office of governor of Adamawa State”.
The statement added that the resolutions were
unanimously passed and adopted at the
stakeholders meeting convened by the ward
congress committee headed by Dr. Akilu
Indabawa held moment after the conduct of the
ward congresses.
All the aspirants attended the meeting except
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who was represented by
Mr. Kelvin Peters, Mr. Marcus Gundiri was
absent.
Dr. Ahmed Dahiru Modibbo, has promised a
government of the people if he wins the PDP
ticket
Modibbo made the promise at a meeting with
147 delegates in Ganye town, from four local
governments – Ganye, Jada, Toungo and Mayo-
Belwa local government’s areas.
He also met with another 178 delegates from
five local governments of Demsa, Numan,
Shelleng, Guyuk and Lamorde.
He reassured them that as a foundation
member of PDP and a proud son of Adamawa
State; he was committed to bringing back the
lost glory of the state through a purposeful
political leadership.
He revealed that a thoroughly all-inclusive
government would be the only solution of
Adamawa’s challenges going by its large tribal
population.
Modibbo visited the monarch of Ganye, Alh.
Umaru Adamu Sanda (The Gangwari of Ganye).
He was assured of support from the Ganye
Traditional Council at the palace.
The monarch who said the former UBEC boss
needed no further introduction appealed for
peaceful conduct among aspirants.