In the build up to the 2019 general elections, certain exceptional individuals from Adamawa and Bauchi states rose to the too on the radar of political tenacity and rare mastery of the game in view of how they effectively and successfully led an opposition to converted their states from fully All Progressives Congress (APC) controlled to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) states.
In fact, I was special adviser on media and publicity to the then Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe state and doubled as the chairman, media and publicity committee of the PDP Campaign Council in the state for the 2019 gubernatorial election. I was also chairman of the council in 2015 election when we defied the Buhari’s sweeping tide to get Governor Dankwambo re-elected. But the level of preparedness marshaled out by the twosome of Fintiri and Senator Bala Mohammed in Adamawa and Bauchi states, respectively, in 2019 flagged an insignia of sophistication in a quest of political leadership than what was evidently obtainable in our own political strip in spite of our incumbency factor.
Probably, the two quick-witted politicians were battling to wrest power from the deep-sitted administrations who were opportuned to have their party, APC, controlling the government at the centre. And in a typical Nigerian scenario, one can imagine how advantageous the two APC governors were in comparison to their challengers in the PDP. Thus, they were able to translate their struggle into a surprising and spectacular victory.
Let me clearly state that I have never met one-on-one with the workaholic Governor Fintiri, fondly called AUF, despite being a PDP stakeholder in neighbouring Gombe state. Due to the proximity of the two states and the curiousity inherent in a journalist, I watched and followed keenly all the pre and post election activities leading to the emergence of AUF as the governor of Adamawa state for the second time; he had a stint as acting governor in 2014 following the impeachment of Governor Murtala Nyako. Fintiri handed over to Bala Ngilari after serving for three months.
Following his triumph in the 2019 general elections, I have been thrilled by Fintiri’s rising political stature – member of Adamawa State House of Assembly for two consecutive terms, speaker of the house and now governor of the hitherto left in the lurch state. Adamawa state has produced prominent Nigerians cutting across politics, military, diplomatic circle, industry and other spheres of the economy. Despite this feat, the state is lagging behind in all indices of development. The pre-Fintiri Adamawa state could not compete even with a younger state like Gombe that was created in 1996 let alone Bauchi that was created in 1976.
The fact is there was no time in history, from the days of old Gongola to now, that the people of Adamawa state have had it so good than under the leadership of Fintiri. Fintiri broke the jinx of having governors who as a tradition gallivant Abuja daily leaving the state bereft of leadership.
To further satisfy my long conceived curiousity, I attended a workshop and town hall meeting organised for senior editors in the Northeast by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in collaboration with the United States Embassy in the state recently. I seized the opportunity to oversight major projects executed by the Fintiri administration which are engrossing.
I took a flight to Yola, the Adamawa state capital, from Abuja alongside two of my colleagues, deputy president of the NGE, Ali M. Ali, and managing director of the Borno Radio Corporation, Adamu Isa Abadam. On arrival, we drove to the hotel on newly built tarred road. We noticed the changes, especially passing through the newly commissioned great interchange at old police roundabout and the Lamido Aliyu Mustapha flyover. For those familiar with the state, the two junctions were landmarks in the state.
Coincidentally, all of us last visited the state before the coming of Fintiri; we could not recognise places we knew earlier, like the Police roundabout and Total junction due to the transformation that has taken place, changing the outlook of the city. I was reliably told that apart from the urban roads, other local government areas also have new road network. Hospitals, schools and several other interventions in the economy have been put in place.
Politics is very nteresting, especially in the way we practice our own version of democracy. We seem to be confused on what we actually want as the yardstick of reaping the dividend of democracy. Considering Fintiri’s unprecedented feats, the people of Adamawa state in their entirety should align themselves with the vision and mission of the current administration and not the other way round.
As the clock ticks towards the 2023 general elections, political gladiators, who refused to see the new Adamawa under Fintiri, have already started scheming with some of them orchestrating propaganda in the media to undermine the successes recorded by the present administration. This is basically for their selfish reasons and to the chagrin of the larger segment of the society who have for the first time in history experienced good governance in its practical and rational sense under the stewardship of Governor Fintiri.
Fintiri as a strong and loyal partyman has been in the PDP where many stakeholders who left the party due to their own desperation have returned to meet him. The governore also won elections severally even without the support of the Abuja politicians who are now thinking that his 2023 political fate hangs on their hands. Maybe they forgot or are yet to realise that politics is not only played on the pages of newspapers; politics is local, hence, the voice of the majority is always paramount. The manner by which Fintiri led the PDP convention committee amidst daunting challenges, undscores his sterling leadership qualities.
Let me drop this simple interrogation: where were they when Fintiri won elections twice, as speaker and governor?
Indeed, the highest form of ignorance is for any human to claim giving or taking power from anyone; it’s an attribute of God not humans. So, Fintiri’s destiny in 2023 and beyond lies in the hands of God who gives and takes power at will.
It’s laughable to learn that among those jostling to wrest power from Governor Fintiri, despite his superlative performance in barely three years, is someone who has lost moral compass to be close to people’s mandate. His attitude in the outside world is unbecoming of a person representing the good people of Adamawa state. It’s embarrassing to the entire state that he sometimes engages in street fight with an ordinary shop attendant and dances to the slightest beat of a drum. His ilks should know that leadership is not comic or a drama but a serious business of transforming and touching the lives of the people.
Even though, I’m not and will never hold brief for the good people of Adamawa state, my neighbours, I believe that their level of enlightenment and awareness cum the reality on ground will help them in taking rational decision during the upcoming 2023 elections.
Kera is a development journalist and former adviser (media) to Governor Dankwambo of Gombe state.
