Commodore Abdulaziz Murtala Hammanyero Nyako (rtd), the senator who had represented Adamawa Central zone, has reiterated that a Muslim-Muslim ticket is very possible despite the ethno-religious diversity of Adamawa state.
Citing Niger and Kaduna states where the governors and deputies are Muslims, he warned that if Christians in Adamawa state are not careful, the same fate will befall them.
Speaking on last Saturday’s Adamawa All Progressives Congress (APC) congress, Senator Aziz, observed that block voting, especially by the Christian community could boomerang.
He said Adamawa state will one day be like Niger and Kaduna states which hitherto had Muslim-Christian governors, or Christian-Muslim governors but now have Muslim-Muslim and possibly Gombe state will follow suit shortly.
Senator Nyako statement followed a clash of interest by prominent APC members as stakeholders staged a glaring faction between Hon Vrati Nzonzo and Ibrahim Bilal.
Engr Babachir Lawal, Sen Ishaku Abbo, Sen Grace Bent, Sen Ahmed Abubakar are some of the stakeholders agitating for a change of party chairmanship to the Southern senatorial district of the state for fair play and inclusion of all party members.
Babachir’s post from a Whatsapp group believe to be dominated by Adamawa politicians from the Central Senatorial Zone of the APC said: “This party lost 2019 primarily because Christian voters felt shortchanged by the party and the then government. Additionally, there was then a full-blown guerilla war between the Bachama Kingdom (Christians) and pastoralists aka Fulani herdsmen (moslems) which Christians viewed as being sponsored (or tolerated) by the APC government both at national and sub-national levels.
“We went into the 2019 general elections under this situation. Aside from losing the governorship and several National Assembly positions, other key outcomes were of the 13 ADHA members elected on the platform of PDP, 10 are Christians while of the 11 elected on the platform of APC, there is not a single Christian. The one of ADC was also a Muslim. Therefore in the 25-man ADHA, 10 are Christians (all from PDP) while 15 are Muslims.”
According to him what happened was that in any constituency that had a Muslim community (even in an insignificant number), the party and the then government manipulated the primary election processes such that only a Muslim could emerge with the party’s ticket to the general election).
He said the party was left to the voters to do the needful and, they did by voting in PDP which had a more fair process hence their outcome.
He added that it will not be wrong if APC is looked upon by Christians as a Muslim party, despite the preponderance of senior Christian politicians in the party which they regard as cowards and Muslim apologists.
“The truth is that majority of the senior Muslim stakeholders of the party in Adamawa state consider politics as an Islamic missionary enterprise and seem to care less about winning general elections.
“But I am sure majority of our party members will agree with me that we must carry all the segments of the state along if we are to have any chance of defeating this PDP government.
“In the light of these noted facts, some of us well-meaning senior party members (from both religions) after a series of meetings in Abuja agreed that we could address these challenges head-on by having a competent chairman (Christian) from the Southern Senatorial zone and a competent secretary (Muslim) from the Northern Senatorial zone. This, we thought could address a major fault line in our party. The motive was simply to position the APC for victory in the 2023 general elections in the state and nothing more. We had no preference as to who will be the candidates in the 2023 elections. The issue did not even come up.
“Now after the meeting dispersed and having agreed on a zoning formula that reflects our decisions, some Muslim members of the group decided to withdraw assent and reverted to playing the religious card as sanctioned by their Muslim communities in the state; a very sad development given the profile of the people involved.
“Again, a group of cowboys from Abuja are determined by hook and crook, to retain the existing ineffective, self-serving, and compromisable executives, to frustrate this effort. They did this by bribing, harassing, threatening, and intimidating both delegates and contestants alike. As dishonest and fraudulent people that they are, they also falsely paraded Aso Rock and party headquarters connections that could not possibly sanction their dubious project.
“The religion of Islam was used to harass and intimidate both candidates and delegates. They sold the dummy that Senator Cliff Abbo and I were seeking to impose a Christian chairman on a Muslim party and this should be resisted at all costs.
“Now as might be possible and likely, supposing APC somehow ends up fielding a Muslim governorship candidate in the 2023 elections, how are we going to win an election that parades a Muslim governorship candidate and a party with a Muslim chairman (plus an executive committee parading 80% Muslims in all the strategic positions)?
“Again, how can a party executive that found itself in office based on one religion seeking to dominate another lead us to victory in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society like ours? How can we with all these fault lines defeat an incumbent?
“By way of conclusion, I will simply say we have recklessly surrendered our party to a group of self-serving and incompetent “one chance” fraudsters and we should be ready to reap in 2023 what we have just sown. May God bless those who think there is hope yet. Optimism is a noble virtue.”
Senator Nyako in his reply to Babachir insisted that the state House of Assembly Muslim lawmakers are the majority.
“I am referring to the day that you were hyped up on the Christian Community being the determinant factor in Adamawa politics. Perhaps it was a Freudian slip. May I therefore humbly conclude that this perhaps is your language and not necessarily that of the Christian Community.
“Lagos state for me is the best model for Adamawa state where the best Christian and Muslim minds are in both parties. The state is, therefore, able to bring governors in a majority Muslim state through sound politicking and careful negotiations,” Nyako said
