Up till Saturday, May 28, 2022, at MKO Abiola National Stadium, before the announcement of the final result of the PDP presidential Primary Elections, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa state never believe Atiku will win the primaries.
Fintiri Body was with Atiku, but his soul and heart is somewhere else. Fintiri’s sudden body language ‘that he is with Atiku’ was borne out of pressure- the pressure of seeing almost everybody in Adamawa is with Atiku. But up to May 28, his belief is Atiku will not win.
During the Presidential primaries, when there were feelers that Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state will step down for Atiku, Fintiri became visibly uneasy – he never predicted such a move. There are insinuations that Fintiri instructed Adamawa’s 21 delegates to vote for Wike, not Atiku. Some of them obeyed, while some of them followed their hearts; voted for Atiku.
Someone, jokingly said, when the counting of the vote was ongoing- whenever Atiku’s name is mentioned like 5-7 times; Fintiri’s legs wobbled involuntarily. The results shook Fintiri.
Politicians who truly went through the mills will never underestimate Atiku’s political shrewd in the politics of the presidency- a man that has spent 30 years in the politics of the presidency of Nigeria, cannot be a pushover in the game. For this 2023 game- What Atiku did was, he knitted his strong structures, network and warchest with the ‘current moment’. The current moment in relative to the PDP and the politics of the presidency appears to be Atiku’s. Fintiri has failed to understand that.
This is not politics, but pure apolitical. People who have some sympathy for Fintiri may feel this is just a made-up, but people who are truly in the loop know is it the truth. That’s it good always to try and see things with our heads instead with our hearts- though it is difficult for some people.
Fintiri should amend his political errors- reconcile and respect Adamawa stakeholders and return to the tenets of the PDP- moving together with everybody. He should respect people who were instrumental in yesterday’s and today’s political journeys people- Boni Haruna, Joel Madaki, and people like Musa Garba who have spent a lot of resources during the 2019 election for Fintiri, etc. Fintiri should also make the AT Shehu-led PDP executives from state to ward level feel they are really the leadership of a ruling party.
Does Fintiri still have time? Only time will tell.
