Signals are beginning to emerge that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar will have more influence than former Governor Murtala Nyako in the government of Governor Muhammad Bindow Jibrilla of Adamawa State. Though it is too early to pinpoint who already holds the ace between Atiku and Nyako in the Jibrilla government, Atiku’s associates have so far cornered more positions in the recent appointments made by Gov Jibrilla – Umar Bindiri, secretary to the state government (SSG); Yohanan Mathias, chief press secretary; and Bala Silas, commissioner for justice and attorney-general. Moreover, Jibrilla is now a son-in-law to Atiku. Nyako’s associates have so far dismissed this impression, saying it is purely speculative, claiming that, for example, the newly appointed SSG is no political associate of anyone. Atiku or anyone else cannot claim him. He is a technocrat who is determined to remain so.
The worries of the Adamawa people, however, remain whether the state is on the verge of returning to the era of a government remote-controlled by few power-hungry politicians and the self-appointed godfathers and kingmakers. The pertinent question on the minds of most people in Adamawa is whether Atiku’s influence will be reminiscent of the eight years of Boni Haruna, which brought regrets. Equally, there are concerns as to whether Nyako’s influence in Jibrilla’s government will be a return to the Nyako style of governance – wide disconnect between the government and the ordinary people; governance and policymaking centered around ruling family and associates; third-rate politicians and gold-diggers making up a greater percentage of Nyako confidants.
There are feelings of uncertainty in the minds of many people in the state. Adamawa people are confused about whether the ‘change’ mantra that brought Jibrilla to power is mere mouth talk. However, quite a number of people believe that Atiku has learnt a lot of lessons from his eight years as vice president, the underdeveloped status of the state and the resultant bashings he received afterwards. The general belief is that Atiku will now use his influence in the Jibrilla government to give fatherly advice on people-oriented programmes and projects. Some pundits are also of the view that Gov Jibrilla needs Atiku for political protection because of Atiku’s influence in the APC, the good rapport he has with the Buhari government and his political strength in Adamawa – quite a number of Atiku’s associates won elective positions in the 2015 elections.
Notwithstanding, most Adamawa people expect Governor Jibrilla to run a government that is free of overbearing influence from anybody. For Jibrilla to balance such complex political settings, he needs to run a representative government and appoint a cabinet that is ‘bi-diverse’, i.e., policy designers/implementers and political strategists to handle the political front.
With the current political, social and economic conditions in the country, especially the dire situation in Adamawa brought about by abject poverty and the Boko Haram senseless war, neither Atiku nor Nyako can survive the people’s anger if it appears that either has an overbearing influence on a government that is performing below people’s expectations. This writer shares the opinion that Atiku is all out to influence the scheme of things in Adamawa in order to rewrite his name in the history of the state’s development.
The only reason many people are giving Atiku this benefit of doubt is because of the unprecedented development he brought to the state after leaving power. Many Adamawa people were critical of Atiku’s eight years as vice president because he made absolutely no positive impact on the state.
On the other hand, Nyako must have learnt his lessons the bitter way. During his impeachment crisis, the Adamawa masses could have been his saviour, because he had once enjoyed an unprecedented support from them. But he lost their sympathy because of his failure to correct his political blunders – open cronyism, non-representative government and poor resource distribution.
From the way political events are unfolding, one can deduce that the affinity between Nyako and Jibrilla is not as strong as people thought. For example, after Jibrilla’s victory at the polls, one expected Nyako to withdraw the two court cases he instituted – one challenging his impeachment and the other his tenure – because both cases were aimed to return Nyako to power. Secondly, when Nyako returned to Adamawa, neither Gov Jibrilla nor any top government official, nor APC stalwarts were present to receive him. On the other hand, Jibrilla is showing whoever wants to know that his loyalty to Atiku is unquestionable. Whenever Atiku is in the state, Jibrilla comes to receive him. In fact, at a function to open Madugu Hotels in Jimeta, as a sign of honour, the governor arrived at the venue before Atiku. Nevertheless, Gov Jibrilla is a politician, so the Adamawa people do not expect him to fight or abandon the fingers that fed him, but he must be smart enough to avoid some of the wrong paths Adamawa has had the misfortune of being shepherded through.
Zayyad I. Muhammad
