The Citizens Awareness Against Corruption and Social Vices Initiative noted that Adamu in the buildup to the state governorship polls “threw all democratic principles out of the window and placed personal interests above the general wellbeing and interests of the clear majority” in Taraba State.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, lost the March 18 governorship election in Taraba State due to the imposition of an unpopular candidate on the people by the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu, an anti-corruption group has said.
The Citizens Awareness Against Corruption and Social Vices Initiative noted that Adamu in the buildup to the state governorship polls “threw all democratic principles out of the window and placed personal interests above the general wellbeing and interests of the clear majority” in Taraba State.
CAACSVI in a release on Wednesday by Olumuyiwa Onlede, Executive Director, noted that Adamu’s single act of connivance with Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, ruined the chance and opportunity of APC members in the state to enthrone a competent government.
The group said, “Members of the APC, and indeed those that have the interest of the party at heart, knew that the Taraba APC had set itself on the path of failure at the polls the moment the National body of the party, under the leadership of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, threw all democratic principles out of the window and placed personal interests above the general wellbeing and interests of the clear majority.
“Adamu's single act of connivance with Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha, ruined the golden chance and opportunity for APC members in the state to forge a common goal of enthroning the long awaited competent and people’s oriented government in Taraba.
“This is indeed a a big blow on the downtrodden people, who are steadily being beaten to abject poverty in the midst of plenty resources in their land due to incompetence, bad governance of the current administration in the state.
“Before February 2022, when Sen. Bwcha joined APC through the back door, Taraba APC had a handful of competent, visionary and purposeful leaders, aspiring to lead the state to the promise land, and of course their capacity is not in any way in doubt looking at their antecedents.
“The hope of the people of Taraba getting their desired governor was dimed in the month of February, 2022, when Bwacha decided to seek refuge in the APC from the PDP, in a bid to save his dwindling political career.
“The declaration of Bwacha as APC candidate in a primary that never held and subsequent disobedience to the order and judgment of the Supreme Court by conducting a kangaroo primary in February 2022, without any legal backing, and foisting an unpopular candidate on the people was already a disaster planned and carried out by Adamu and his cohorts such as Bwacha.
“The elections may have come and gone, but the pains and anguish to be felt by the people for the next four years still and will continue to be the concern of patriotic sons and daughters of Taraba State, who are averse to the happenings in the State.
“It is no doubt that the people have long awaited Chief David Sabo-Kente to take the mantle of leadership in the state so as to save Taraba from total collapse both in infrastructure and human capacity development. If good governance must have a place in Taraba State and Nigeria as a whole, we must start looking at politics in a modern perspective i.e our politics must be politics of the people and it must be a politics of competition of ideas, which will give those that aspire to lead us the opportunity to put their antecedent and life in the court of public opinion for the people to scrutinise and have a choice and a say, instead of being forced to elect unpopular leaders because of undemocratic party arrangements.”