Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), may have incurred the wrath of the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, for his role in the political logjam currently threatening the peace of Adamawa state.
Consequently, she is currently plotting his replacement in the new cabinet, for daring to oppose her political preferences in their home state of Adamawa.
The SGF and Mrs. Buhari, SaharaReporters learnt, have differed sharply on the choice of the next Governor of the state. While Aisha Buhari is allegedly not disposed to having Jibrilla Bindow reelected for a second term, Mustapha would simply damn the consequences to have Bindow return.
As gathered, Mustapha and Bindow have sealed a succession pact, meaning all things being equal, the former will succeed the latter in 2023. Mustapha, it would be recalled, lost the APC ticket to Bindow in 2015.
This perhaps in a sense defines the clash of interests between Aisha and her husband’s appointee, which of course, manifested way back during the governorship nomination process of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mustapha, as gathered, interfaced with the Adams Oshiomhole-led party hierarchy for Bindow to emerge, to the chagrin of the First Lady and her preferred candidate, Mahmood Halilu Ahmed, who is better known as Modi.
But it was not only Aisha who suffered the humiliating defeat, because, like her, former SGF Babachir Lawal and Mohammed Buba Marwa both felt that Bindow had shown deficiencies in many ways, as such, he should be upstaged.
The trio had backed Modi to take over from Bindow on grounds of alleged incompetence. But SGF Mustapha defied them all and managed to secure the party’s ticket for Bindow.
Against this background, the wife of the president had openly campaign against Bindow after President Muhammadu Buhari’s reelection.
Aisha Buhari, who hails from Adamawa State, is known for her outspokenness, so she had no qualms openly criticising the leadership style of Bindow and urging the electorate to vote him out.
Speaking in Hausa parlance, an audio of which went viral on social media platforms just a week to the March 9 governorship election, Aisha had said: “As an indigene of Adamawa myself, I want to use this medium to call on our people to vote credible leaders this time.
“Recall even my husband had counselled voters to vote wisely this time round. I’m here to stress just the same issue; don’t return to power people who are wont to deception and lies.”
She further counselled the electorate thus: “Do not repeat the mistake of voting people with questionable academic credentials; we need leaders who have enough education to govern our state”.
However, the SGF thinks differently, as he has always defied Mrs. Buhari on Adamawa politics, especially on how she would want leaders to emerge.
On the inconclusive Governorship election, sources said the First Lady has been worried since news of Adamawa’s inconclusive governorship election broke out.
“She is particularly concerned about how the situation may threaten the fragile peace of the state,” a source said.
Madam Buhari, the source further said, was dismayed to have heard that SGF Mustapha was allegedly bankrolling the lawsuit of the Movement of Restoration for Defence of Democracy (MRDD), and its governorship candidate, Rev. Eric Theman.
It is widely speculated that Mustapha is footing the legal cost in the ongoing MRDD suit aimed at canceling the inconclusive governorship election, to clear the coast for fresh polls, hoping to achieve Bindow’s reelection at all cost.
But the wife of the President feels the move is capable of setting the state on fire, just as Babachir, who belongs to her camp, has already called on Bindow to concede defeat to Ahmed Umar Fintiri, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate.
Saharareporters had reported that Babachir Lawal and other prominent politicians from Adamawa want Bindow to concede defeat and give peace a chance in the state.
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