Adamu: A Resignation Foretold

For Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the former chairman of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) who just resigned his position, it was definitely a question of when, not if, he will leave the seat before the expiration of his term in office. The signs that Adamu will not last long on the seat were too glaring for even the blind and politically naive to see and feel. That he stayed for such a time is what baffles many.

Known for his political sagacity, the former Nasarawa State governor who holds the traditional title of Turakin Keffi literally came from behind to spring surprises by outsmarting Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, also a former governor of Nasarawa State, who was considered by many as the man to beat in the APC chairmanship race.

Adamu assumed the seat after many APC members thought it was a done deal for Al-Makura whose flank of the party, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), felt it was its turn to produce the party chair.

Through deft scheming and clever maneuvering, he was named the consensus chairmanship candidate at the party’s extraordinary convention. This was after other aspirants were literally muzzled out of the race and coerced into dropping their aspirations.

But like all tragic heroes whose character flaws are bound to become their own undoing, Adamu started courting controversies shortly after assuming office as chairman. His biggest undoing was when, instead of maintaining the father figure posture to all aspirants, he couldn’t hide his preference for one of the presidential aspirants- former Senate President Ahmed Lawan- who he declared as the party’s consensus candidate.

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When Bola Ahmed Tinubu eventually emerged as the party’s candidate, it was clear that Adamu’s days at Buhari House, as the party’s national secretariat is fondly called, were numbered. And so when he eventually turned in his resignation at the start of this week, many did not see it as a surprise. As we wait for Adamu to offer ‘reasons’ for his resignation, the fact that some of his actions before and after the party primaries contributed immensely to his resignation, which obviously was done to stave off an imminent sack, cannot be disputed.

However, his exit is not peculiar considering the fact that virtually all of the party chairmen before him had to leave unceremoniously at some point in time.

It all began with John Odigie Oyegun who was the party’s first substantive national chairman. Oyegun emerged as chairman at the party’s first national convention in 2014. Unable to stand the pressure, he served for one term and jettisoned his second term ambition to pave way for Adams Oshiomhole, who like Oyegun, is a former governor of Edo State.

Adams Oshiomhole’s tenure was characterised by crisis, compelling former President Muhammadu Buhari, then leader of the party, to dissolve the National Working Committee and appointed Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State as chairman of  the party’s Caretaker Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC).

Buni who was given six months to organise a convention that would produce another substantive chairman could not accomplish the mission after spending one year in office and was eventually threatened with removal. As a matter of fact, he was declared removed, with former Niger State governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, named as his replacement, a decision that was quickly reversed by the party’s leader on arrival in the country. Buni hurriedly organised a convention that produced the now ousted Adamu.

With Adamu out of the way, all eyes are on the governing party as it begins the process of picking who succeeds him.