2019: Gov. Bindow’s challenges ahead 2019 election

As 2019 draws nearer and the political shadow games gradually crystallises, it is now becoming clear that the political atmosphere in Adamawa would not be as favourable to some aspirants and indeed candidates as it was in 2015. Adamawa state has a peculiar political setting that is not tenable anywhere else. Indeed, Adamawa is a […]

As 2019 draws nearer and the political shadow games gradually crystallises, it is now becoming clear that the political atmosphere in Adamawa would not be as favourable to some aspirants and indeed candidates as it was in 2015.

Adamawa state has a peculiar political setting that is not tenable anywhere else. Indeed, Adamawa is a mini Nigeria, with high net worth political stakeholders playing Russian roulette, and the political battlegrounds shifts like quick sands

Governor Bindow   in spite of his achievements, in areas of roads reconstruction, is being confronted with some challenges today with barely a year to the end of his mandate, that it is no longer a sure thing that he might win back in 2019.

Bindow is faced with a myriad of challenges and obstacles, some, as a matter of fact  self-inflicted.

Bindow’s inability to sustain political association with any of the major blocks in the state, is eventually turning to be his major Achilles heel.

It is believed that he rode to power on the platform of the Former Governor Murtala Nyako in 2015, only to ditch the group for the platform of the former vice president Atiku Abubakar.

He had claimed then that Atiku spent over N500million on his governorship elections, a claim which had irked not only the Nyako group but also the Buhari’s Presidency.

But with the exit of Atiku from the APC, Bindow is like an orphan in the APC as he is viewed with suspicion by all the major groupings in the APC structures in the state.

Today the Nyako group, a formidable political machine, is waiting to have their pound of flesh.

As a matter of fact, the group has moved out to the African Democratic Congress, ADC, an emergent new party, which is at arrowhead of political alliances geared towards uprooting the APC from power in 2019.

The recent APC elective convention, from the ward to the national level, has exposed the weakness of  Bindow  with the party leadership in the state, and its fractionalization.

In fact, it is not sure if party leadership would go along with him.

A faction of the party led by ESZRA Dimas has approached a Yola based high court seeking to nullify the state congress of the party on grounds of exclusion.

Other stakeholders like the former Secretary to Federal Government, SGF, Babachir David Lawal have also disclaimed the congress.

Apart from the Nyako group, he has issues with Gen. Mohammed Marwa .

 There are about 5 five major issues  confronting the incumbent Governor, Senator  Mohammed Bindow   that would determine the 2019 elections.

There is also the issue of security as some residents are not happy with the governor over the recent spate of farmers/ herders violence rocking the state. The violence may also count against the Governor. The violence had affected the mostly Bwartye ethnic communities of Demsa, Numan, Lamurde,  and Girie.

Some of the major political gladiators in the state has expressed annoyance with Bindow over the ways and manner he runs the state without consulting them.

Bindowo can be defeated in spites of the support of the presidency.

In fact, protest votes against president Buhari might likely lead to his defeat. In other words, presidency support for Bindow is more a liability.

Written by James Dauda a public affairs commentator in Yola