Adamawa State Governor, Jibrilla Bindow, has declared that the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Adamawa will remain solid behind President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that they will not follow former Vice President Atiku Abubakar out of the party.
Bindow,s position is coming on the heel of speculation amongst political pundits that the state APC structure will be fragmented following Atiku,s decision to quit the party.
But Bindow while speaking with State House Correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, said the APC is Adamawa has remained strong and will continue to be so and united behind President Buhari.
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He declared that the former vice president is more than matured enough to decide whatever he wants to decide for himself,
Bindow who also described himself as one of the founding fathers of APC, detailed how as a Senator ” we were the ones, alongside the current Senate President that worked very hard to ensure that all members of the National Assembly; that we agreed to move to APC, so, I cannot see any reason why, today, that the House I built, I will leave. So I am in APC for the rest of my life”
He explained that ” Atiku, just like very elder in Adamawa state, l regard them as my parents or elders. So, Waziri remains somebody I respect as a father, and the same with any other elder in the state”
He also joined the league of other Governors to throw their weight behind President Buhari,s 2019 reelection ambition
” Yes, I was fortunate enough, very rare opportunity to be the first governor to do that for our president. As far as we, the people of the northeast are concerned, we will remain loyal to our president who is highly committed to the fight against insurgency. We will remain loyal to our president”
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Speaking further on the post-Atiku APC in Adamawa, Bindow who backed his claims with statistics, said the APC is strong, adding that we have 25 members in the state assembly, 23, in fact, 24 now because one of them have moved to the APC, so, 24 out of 25 members in the House of Assembly are APC”
” The three Senators from the state are APC, even the House of Reps, including Adamu Kamale who recently moved to the APC. So we are strong and we will continue to be strong.”
Atiku had until recently when he resigned from the party, controlled the party structures in the state where he played a formidable role in its emergence.
The former Vice President was elected first as Governor under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in 1999 in the wake of current post-military democratic political arrangement and had to vacate the position when former President Obasanjo chose him as his Vice President.
The state had remained under the control of PDP until Atiku pulled it into APC in 2015.
The state has however never found itself in opposition against the government at the centre since 1999 until date.
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
