Like many other groups and individuals across the length and breadth of Adamawa State, the leadership of Adamawa Political Front (APF) has expressed concerns over what it described as the provocative approach of some political parties and politicians to their electioneering campaigns ahead of the 2023 general elections. Last week, the group, speaking through its spokesperson, Aliyu B. Mustapha, was forced to express its reservations to the utterances and actions of some political players while insisting that any action and or utterances capable of truncating the peace of the state must be avoided.

Mustapha was responding to the now controversial statement issues by the spokesperson of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the state in reaction of the decision of the state government to allow the opposition party to use the state-owned Mahmud Ribadu Square, for the flag-off of its gubernatorial campaign. APF described some utterances of the SDP chieftains as injurious to “the peace and wellbeing of the people of Adamawa State. The group then urged politicians to display more maturity and sportsmanship as they go about seeking the votes of the good people of the state.

“The attention of the Adamawa Political Front (APF) a non-partisan political pressure group, has been drawn to an uncouth statement credited to one Mr. Ahmed SS Landy, the State spokesman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), on what he deliriously entitled “Adamawa: SDP’s Technical Knockout to PDP”. Ordinarily, we would not have minded delving into the totally uncivilised statement, but for the debilitating effect of such fallacious statement on the peace and wellbeing of the people of Adamawa State.

“Adamawa State, under the leadership of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has since 2019, transformed not only as the project capital of the North-East, nay Nigeria, but has maintained unparalleled peace not witnessed in a long while. The SDP unfortunately have decided to shoot itself on the legs by taking for granted the maturity and hearted disposition of Governor Fintiri . Were the SDP managers been a little bit more discrete, that foul smelling press statement authored by Mr. Landy would not have been approved for public consumption. The party exercised a lot of indiscretion by allowing such a toxic statement capable of breaching the peace that has pervaded the state since 2019 to be pushed out for public consumption.

“The SDP managers in the state forgot so easily to put into perspective the series of roadblocks and stumbling blocks being mounted in other states of the federation against opposition political parties, which Governor Fintiri has vowed should not be the norm, rather an exception. For graciously approving the SDP to host the flag-off of its gubernatorial campaigns at the prestigious Mahmud Ribadu Square (Amadawa’s Eagle Square) last week Thursday, is the height of political maturity and exhibition of spirit of sportsmanship,” Mustapha said.

APF is not the only group calling for a peaceful election in Adamawa. The Numan Unity Forum (NUF) while urging the ruling party and Governor Fintiri to continue to provide a level playing ground for all candidates and political parties across the state in the spirit of the peace accord signed by stakeholders, appealed to oppositions parties to shun the use of hate speech and violent words in their campaign. Hon. Innocent Ngari, the Chairman of the forum, explained that the people of Adamawa state have resolved to reject any candidate or political party that fans the ember of violence ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The APF also shares Ngari’s position on the matter. “Therefore, for the SDP for be comparing apple and sour grapes is the height of ingratitude, projecting the party as a war monger that is bent of sniffling the peace in the state, which unfortunately, they cannot achieve. While granting approval to the SDP for the use for the stadium, Gov. Fintiri never sent out a child to sell salt and asked rain makers to go after him.

“No! Far from it. The Governor decided to respect the peace accord signed with the General Abdulsalami Abubakar Peace Committee, where in the President Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar was key signatory to. However, the SDP to have so soon expressed such level of ingratitude by derisively describing the flag-off of the PDP’s campaign in Shelleng as amounting to “a very poor turnout” especially when there was no need for such uncouth comparison is unfortunate and exposes their ingratitude.

“To describe that SDP and its governorship candidate as having “emerged as a reckoning power bloc in the politics of the state”, while describing the PDP’s event as illustrating “the dwindling support among the masses and fading electoral fortunes against the PDP and its candidates in the politics of the state” is most unfortunate and a blatant lie from the pit of hell. For the SDP, which exists more in the imagination of its leaders in the state stating that “the emerging political dynamics of the state has seen SDP rising and PDP falling”, is most uncharitable.

“For a fact, PDP did not flag-off its campaigns in Shelleng in order to hide away from the glaring view of centre of activities, but rather a strategic move to bring a sense of belonging to rural communities on issues of governance. Notwithstanding, we appeal to Governor Fintiri not to succumb to the shenanigans of a desperate people, who are desperately seeking to make themselves popular by engaging in acts that can annoy the Governor and his Government.

“The decision to run and all inclusive government in Adamawa, irrespective of party affiliation and creed is not something to be distracted from. As a father to all, Governor Fintiri should continue to make the facilities in the state available to all, irrespective of the activities of the likes of Mr. Landy and their cohorts,” the APF had argued while calling on the people of the state to reject politicians that try to pitch them against fellow citizens of Adamawa,’ Mustapha added.

Concerns mounts over hate speech amid campaigns

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