There is tension in Adamawa State following sudden interest of Dr. Mahmoud Halilu, a brother to First Lady Aisha Buhari, in the governorship race.

Mahmoud, popularly called Modi, wants to unseat Governor Jibrilla Bindow, who is from Adamawa North Senatorial District.

But stakeholders are said to be opposed to Mahmoud who is relying on powerful forces in Abuja to clinch the ticket.

It was unclear last night whether the First Lady had given her blessing to Mahmoud whose intimidating electronic billboards have flooded Yola.

If Mahmoud gets the ticket, Bindow, who is in control of the party’s structure, may have to use another party to seek re-election in 2019.

It was also learnt that if Mahmoud is adamant, he has to vie for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) with Bindow, a former governorship candidate, Marcus Nada Gundiri, a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes( EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and Senator Ahmad Abubakar Mo’Allahyidi, who currently represents Adamawa South Senatorial District.

According to investigation, all attempts to convince Mahmoud to shelve his governorship ambition has failed.

A top source said: “APC in Adamawa has a big challenge at hand. There is tension ahead of our primaries. We do not want Governor Bindow to defect to PDP but Mahmoud Halilu, who is a younger brother to the First Lady is insisting on seeking the governorship ticket.

“He has all his posters in Yola. A graduate of Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, he has no known political pedigree except that he belongs to the First Family and carries that about.

“He is not known in any political cycle in Adamawa. He had attempted to previously contest for a seat in the House of Representatives on the platform of the defunct CPC only to chicken out.

“Under the current dispensation, he toyed with the idea of intimidating the party and Bindow by pressurizing them to assure him of a ticket to contest for Senate but he failed to actualize it.

“We are suspecting that he is challenging the incumbent governor for refusing to do his bidding.”

But apart from Bindow, the First Lady’s brother has to vie for the governorship slot with a former governorship candidate, Marcus Nada Gundiri, a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and Senator Ahmad Abubakar Mo’Allahyidi.

•Excerpted from The Nation report

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