The 2015 aspiration of Governor Bala James Ngilari of Adamawa State at the weekend received a major boost as traditional rulers, religious leaders and other stakeholders led by the Lamido Adamawa, Alhaji Barkindo Mustapha, met and told President Goodluck Jonathan that they would prefer to support the governor than any other aspirant in the state.

They therefore declared their support towards Ngilari’s governorship aspiration, saying that equity and fairness dictate that Ngilari, like other PDP first term governors, deserves the right of first refusal in line with the policy of the party.

PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, and former Minister of Defence, General T.Y. Danjuma are also reportedly massing support for Ngilari. A source said: “The duo are believed to be pushing for a reversal of the decision of the Adamu Muázu-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP which zoned the governorship position to Adamawa Central without taking into consideration all indices and variables that are required in winning elections in the state.”

General Dajuma was quoted as having said: “The party already has too much crisis in its hands and the leadership of the party must not allow itself or be seen to be creating more crises to worsen the situation at hand.”

News Express learnt that Ngilari’s political fate also featured prominently at a meeting of PDP stakeholders held over the weekend in Yola, the state capital. The stakeholders noted that in 2007, when Prof. Jibril Aminu was Adamawa PDP Leader, he brought former Governor Murtala Nyako into the party and made him the governorship candidate based on the argument that since former Governor Boni Haruna, a Christian, served for eight years, a Muslim should also be allowed to go for eight years.

“Prof. Aminu’s position was complied with and adopted as party policy in the state. So, why the sudden change of position without recourse to earlier agreements?” a member of the state executive committee of the PDP, who does not want his name in print, asked.

Principal Private Secretary to the President, Alhaji Hassan Tukur, and PDP National Chairman, Muázu, are believed to have skewed the zoning arrangement to favour the aspiration of the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who defected from the All Progressive Congress (APC) to PDP for the sole purpose of contesting the governorship position of Adamawa State.

•Photo shows Governor Ngilari.

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