By Alhaji Umar Mustapha Madawaki (Otunba of Ekiti)
At a time such as this, when there is an ongoing titanic battle for Dougerei House between two political heavy weights, standing on the platforms of the two biggest political parties in Africa, APC and PDP, it is easy to lose sight of what is important and be carried away by the mundane, given the huge propaganda and deliberate misinformation, aimed at misleading the good people of Adamawa State.
It is to help set the records right and blow off the smokescreen generated by deliberate deceptive information, so that the ordinary Adamawa Citizen can see right and do right, that I have decided to speak at this time.
Before I go on, let me state categorically that my intentions are altruistic, with no aim for personal gain, except what is good for our beloved Adamawa State and the good people of the state. I am a man of strong altruistic principles and I have worked, all my life, with my hard-earned resources, to better the lives of the ordinary people of Adamawa State. That is also why I have always spoken up and called for good administration of the state and for governance that prioritizes the welfare of the people above so-called “legacy projects” and hallow political grandstanding.
It is to this end that I want to state, without any equivocation or hesitation, that the attempt to paint Senator Aishatu Ahmed Dahiru Binani as a religionist, tribalist and a power-grabbing politician is, to say the least, completely misplaced and a gross injustice to a woman who has worked all her life to promote understanding, acceptance, inclusion, and cooperation between all the peoples and tribes of Adamawa State, and to bring succour to the downtrodden and lift up the living standards of all the people of the State.
During her days in PTF, she showed herself to be, not only a great administrator, but also a person who can speak on behalf of the state and get things done for the state. She carried the same good traits into politics and worked tirelessly, not only for her constituency, but also for the whole of Adamawa State when she served in the Federal House of Representatives between 2011 – 2015. She cooperated close with other representatives from Adamawa State to secure developmental projects for Adamawa State. She carried on the same great work, albeit at a higher level, when she was elected to the Senate in 2019. Her last assignment in the Senate is serving as the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on SDGs. Only someone who understands development leads that committee.
The result of all the good work she has done for the ordinary people of Adamawa State is manifested in the groundswell of support she enjoys, all across Adamawa State. No politician in Adamawa State, in office or out of office, enjoys the goodwill and support of the ordinary people of Adamawa State as Senator Aishatu Ahmed Dahiru Binani. Even the incumbent governor cannot successfully argue this fact.
It is her understanding of what genuine development is, and her desire to bring growth and prosperity to Adamawa State that made her to throw her hat into the ring for the contest of the governorship seat of the state. It is that same desire, and not an attempt to foist tribal or religious supremacy on other tribes and religions in the state, that has made her to remain steadfast and dogged in her fight against all the injustices thrown at her and the attempt to steal the mandate freely given to her by the good people of Adamawa State.
Senator Aishatu Ahmed Dahiru Binani, given her education and exposure, knows that genuine development is good for everyone, regardless of tribe or religion or other such primordial considerations, and is, hence, committed to standing above the fray and insisting on bringing genuine growth and prosperity to Adamawa State.
And, Inshallah, the mandate freely given to her by the good people of Adamawa State will be restored to her, and she will go on to lead the state to prosperity and sustainable growth and development.