Binani: How not to become ‘Madam Governor’

When Senator Aishatu Dahiru popularly known as Binani emerged the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Adamawa governorship election in 2022, many Nigerians saw her victory as a great feat for the women folk.

Binani’s feat made her the second female flag bearer of a major political party in Nigeria, after the late Mama Taraba, Aisha Alhassan.

But the turn of events leading to the outcome of the election in Adamawa left much to be desired to put it mildly. The high-level desperation shown by Binani and her team has made her lose all the goodwill she had enjoyed from her well wishers, especially the women folk.

Before the election was declared inconclusive, propaganda was everywhere on the social media space that Binani had won the election.

The posters of Binani as “Madam Governor” flooded the social media space even when her main challenger, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the PDP, was clearly in the lead with over 30,000 votes.

Also, after the supplementary election, the now suspended INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa, Hudu Ari, out of desperation declared Binani winner of the election even when collation was yet to be concluded. He even lacked the powers to do so.

Curiously too, Binani was also quick to make an acceptance speech as governorelect of Adamawa State after such an illegal declaration made by REC Hudu, who is not empowered to do so.

Binani, perhaps, in a desperate move to legitimize her ‘winning’ also headed to the court to stop INEC from upturning her ‘victory’ as infamously declared by REC Hudu.

All that transpired from Binani and her camp during the just concluded election smack of high-level desperation. While it is our desire to see more women occupy offices as governors in Nigeria, such must happen through due democratic processes. Becoming a governor is not by fiat and gimmick!