Defection of Adamawa State Governo Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s brother from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is causing ripples.
Honorable Chubado Babbi Tijjani said the main reason for leaving PDP is a simple lack of recognition as well as exclusion from happenings within the party and decisions on issues relating to his immediate area even as a stakeholder.
“ So I joined APC on personal ground, nobody influenced me, nobody called me to join and I only joined the party because of the way and manner I was treated in PDP, not because of anyone, or I follow any particular politician, no! not at all.” he said.
In a statement made available to The Trumpet, the two-term Chairman of Madagali local government dismissed claim by PDP that he dumped the party in government because he was no more relevant to the Fintiri’s administration.
Tijjani said as a former Chief of staff with his supporters across the state, he mobilized greatly for Fintiri victory at the polls in 2019. “ As they rightly pointed out, politics is about recognition, and I’m not being recognized, what I wanted is even if an appointment is to be made from my ward I should be consulted.
“So I want to agree with them if they say my staying in PDP or going to APC is of no relevance. It’s because they didn’t take me as anything, which informed my decision to move out of PDP.
So they are right in this respect. “I’m a politician and for me not to be consulted on issues concerning politics even at my ward level, I consider it as an insult.
This is the reason why I decided to change direction and Identify myself with those that value me.” Tijjani said He said he grew through the ranks of politics, from being a councilor to two-term council Chairman of Madagali, Adviser to former Governor Nyako, and later Chief of Staff to Governor Bala James-Ngilari led government, he should remain a valued stakeholders at least of Madagali local government. Decided not to be confrontational with Fintiri, he blamed the commissioner of Land and Survey, Muhammad Umar for the campaign of calumny against him, which he said did not represent views of the governor.
‘’I know Governor Fintiri for a very long time, he will not agree with them on this, if he wants to pass his message to anyone, he would have done that through his spoke person and I assure you I can likewise reply him adequately. So what the so called critical stakeholders did was entirely the thinking of Mohammed Umar, commissioner of land and survey.
“Therefore I will not join issues with the Governor because we have mutual respect for ourselves. If he wants to attack me he has all the capacity to do that.
If I want to attack him I have the right to do that as a citizen of this country and we are in a democracy. “Since he didn’t do that it will be out of disrespect to say anything negative about him. So I reserve my comments because I believe this is not coming from him, The Trumpet gathered.
“For me, the summary of all this didn’t come from the Governor and I will not say anything bad about him. “ I cannot say the Governor is having grudges against me at the moment, what I can only say he has his unique type of leadership that people must reach out to him before you can relate well. But fortunately or unfortunately I’m not the type that disturb people in authority.
if I helped you I should not be coming and disturbing you over personal issues. “I know if the Governor finds me worthy to work for him, he can reach out to me. Besides there is nothing new for me in Adamawa state, I was a chief of staff which is the highest position Fintiri can give me, but I was in the same office, so I don’t virtually need anything from his government to survive.”
Tijjani said Tijjani said he left PDP for good to APC to begin a new political life as from Saturday 19th March, 2022 when he was formally received into the APC in his home town of Madagali by party stakeholders.
“And for now, I don’t have any political ambition to contest, I will not be fair to those I met in the party all these years. I think I better join the queue if there is going to be any ambition, that should be in the future.”he said .
Meanwhile, the organizing secretary of the APC in Adamawa State, Mustapha Atiku Ribadu has berated the PDP) for being a bad loser by engaging in cheap blackmail of Babbi Tijjani over his defection.
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Ribadu said allowing Tijjani to slip off its hands is self inflicted havoc on the PDP and may cost the party the governorship seat come 2023.
“The dying party felt that the only way to settle scores with Chubado against the backdrop of his defection to our party is to resort to cheap lies and blackmail against him. “Saying that Chubado has ceased to be an active member of PDP for over ten years because he left the party today is a lie from the pit of hell.
“The same person Abdu Umaru Jabu, the party’s chairman in Madagali ward who is trying to splash mud on Chubado for exercising his inalienable democratic right to chose where to belong to is the same person who acknowledged that Chubado was an active member of the party in the past when the relationship was chubby,” Ribadu said.
