BINDOW, NYAKO, ATIKU AND SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT

Now that Adamawa State Governor Muhammadu Jibrilla Bindow has finally put behind him the Murtala Nyako poorly-thought out court cases that have trailed his government for a long time, Adamawa people expect him to assert full authority; put a strong personal stamp on his government and take full responsibility of any actions or inactions of his government as excuses of distractions by court cases are now over.

Many are of the opinion that the massive road rehabilitation, construction and expansions going on in Adamawa is as a result of the ‘fear’ of possible backlash of Nyako court case against Bindow’s government; and also to make a political statement against Nyako who has a very weak popular support from the masses because during his reign, governance and policy making was centered around his family and his village members. His confidants were third-rate politicians and gold diggers causing a wide-spread disconnect between his government and the ordinary people.

Nyako’s attempt to make a comeback is a nexus of continuing an old political rivalry between himself and former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar which dates back to 2003. It is also an attempt by the Nyako group to settle personal scores. Above all, the Nyako group still feels betrayed by Governor Bindow and its main political crave is to have Senator Abdul-Aziz Nyako as governor. So Nyako’s effort to make a return goes beyond completing his remaining 10 months in office as governor.

To be fair to the Nyako group, they definitely have to be aggrieved. In the build-up to the 2015 elections, a very small committee was setup to shop for a saleable governorship candidate. Three names emerged- Dahiru Bobbo, former Director General of National Boundary Commission; Boss Mustapha, APC chieftain and Tahir Mamman, former DG, Law School, Yola campus. Bindow’s name was not even on the list. The Nyako group had to field Bindow during the primaries as they did not have an option, because among all the contenders, it was only Bindow who openly opposed Nyako’s impeachment and the group felt they could be at home with him. Atiku, in his political reasoning opted for Ibrahim Yayaji Mijinyawa, probably because of loyalty. In fact, the APC governorship primary election was a contest between Atiku and Nyako. Governor Bindow won the APC governorship primaries solely by relying on former governor Nyako’s political structures. And twice, Bindow beat Atiku Abubakar’s preferred candidate, Yayaji Mijinyawa in the primaries. But Atiku now pull the strings.

Some political observers are of the view that Governor Bindow appears ‘self-assured’ in the murky waters of Adamawa politics, because he thinks, once one has Atiku’s group by his side- most political opponents can easily be dealt with because of Atiku’s immense war chest and history of successes in political legal battles that easily scares off his opponents. Zayyad I. Muhammad, Jimeta, Adamawa State