By Godwin Gloria
Senator Aishatu Binani has emerged as the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship primary poll in Adamawa State, beating five other contenders, all men, to clinch the golden ticket.
Gambo Lawal, Chairman of the Electoral Committee, announced the result on Friday, May 27, 2022.
Binani had 430 votes to defeat her closest rival and a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, who got 288 votes.
Other contestants in the race were the immediate past governor of the state, Jibrilla Bindow; a House of Representatives member, Abdulrazak Namdas; Wafari Theman, and Umar Mustapha.
The former Governor, Jibrilla Bindow came third with 103 votes. A further breakdown of the result showed that Namdas had 94 votes, Theman had 21 votes, and Umar Mustapha scored 39 votes. The exercise recorded 36 invalid votes.
The primary, which took place at the Lamido Cinema in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, started at about 5:00 pm on Thursday with the accreditation of delegates. But voting started around midnight and lasted till Friday morning before sorting and counting began.
Friday’s victory makes the Senator, who represents Adamawa Central in the upper lawmaking chamber, the first female governorship aspirant of a major political party in the state. The feat also makes her the second female flag bearer of a major party in Nigeria.
Senator Binani’s win is a major upset and a plus for the womenfolk in the country. She will be aiming to become the first elected female governor in Nigeria’s history. So far, Binani is the first woman to fly the flag of a major political party in the forthcoming election.
During her speech, the 50-year-old commended the committee for the successful conduct of the primary and promised to work with those who contested with her.
