Re:2023: THE BINANI PHENOMENON IN ADAMAWA- George Kushi

It is rather strange that the assemblage of mostly itinerant crowds that populated the flag-off of Binani's campaign has created an impact on Aminu Iyawa,one time chieftain of Murtala Nyako's propaganda machine. It is also worthy to note that his view of the whole assemblage was from a prism that multiplied the numbers to proportions that suited his wishes.

Of course a crowd brought in from outside the state were part of the crowd,added to that were spectators interested in catching a glimpse of the motorcade of the spent forces meant to create an impression. As a fact, the people enjoyed the spectacle,yet the crowd failed to impress careful analyst that could intelligently discern that a choked up alley cannot be compared to a population in a large field.

What happened on the 9th can best be likened to a storm in a tea cup. Yes,there were waves of a few millimeters, a storm,but not enough to capsize a loaf of bread. A street corner meeting is not what can be used to measure acceptability. It noteworthy that desspite the "bigwigs" invited to the carnival,Yola the state capital did not witness a considerable shift or influx of humanity.

Rather,to the chagrin of al APC apologists ,one time governor Umaru Jibrilla Bindow's supporters that have an immense followership across the state came out and shifted camp to the PDP and Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri's side.

The show by the APC in Adamawa was not impressive as Aminu Iyawa would like us to believe. It was short of people that will vote when it really matters. The final measure of an election is at the grassroots and not in the state capital where rented crowds and sightseers are assembled.

Another aspect of the event is the regrettable fact that the aged "leaders" proved what we all know; the fact that they are no longer at their best. The visibly lack of agility, incoherent messages failed to impress. President Buhari said nothing tangible to garner support he was clearly indifferent, Tinubu's message on the other hand was not coherent making the flag-off a flash in a pan that ended so fast as if it never happended.

Added to all the incoherence in the organization of the event is the disunity in the camp. Binani ,the arrowhead in her message said it all. Her call to Nuhu Ribadu,the estranged loser at the primaries, Aisha Buhari ,the first lady whose spouse was a key figure at the gathering and several others says a lot about the disarray in the APC she said " Bai kyautu a hada gwamnati babu hanun ka a ciki ba, shi mulki in Allah ya ba mutum, ya ba ci" This statement is a further reinforcement of an arrogated stance that succeeded in the polarization of a disunited Adamawa APC.

APC,from the outset was not a party. For all purposes it was coalition around Buhari's followers to snatch power at the center. With Buhari's two tenures over,it is becoming increasingly difficult to steer the party ashore. Far from being a party,the movement seems to be fizzling out,a fact mentioned over a year ago by Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri. If at the last hour the contending sides in the APC in Adamawa have failed to settle their scores,how can they hope to impress the people of Adamawa? A house divided will surely fall.

For those of us that have only monitored political events in the nineties,we have seen far greater gatherings than what happened on the 9th.

Over the past twenty years,many political gatherings have taken place in Yola. The various political parties including the APP , Buhari's former party has had great meetings in here in Yola. The PDP has had great meetings in Yola over the years. Yet ,the greatest is in the pipeline when the PDP will congregate for a grand finale.

So to Iyawa, I make bold to say that what Adamawa is witnessing under Fintiri and the collective acceptability by the people is the Significant impact only he has missed.

Kushi writes in from the campaign train as we traverse the nooks and crannies of Adamawa appealing to the electorates.