Senator Binta Garba of Adamawa North Senatorial District who has lost her bid to return to the National Assembly, has told her supporters to take her loss calmly as losing her election penultimate Saturday is not the same thing as losing someone.
“I was almost in tears this morning when lots of people came here,” Sen Binta told newsmen who called at her house in Yola, adding, “They came to comfort me but the way they did it, it was like I had lost someone. I said, ‘No, dear. It’s not like that. It’s not as if anyone died.”
She told the journalists that she truly was not feeling too bad that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ishaku Cliff, as winner of the Adamawa North Senatorial election at her expense.
“The joy that I have is this: it was a race that I ran and lots of people applauded it. In the times that I have been to the National Assembly, it has not been for myself. It has always been for the common good of my people. And I did what any member of the National Assembly would be expected to do,” she said.
She specified that while at the Senate (from 2015 to date), she placed hundreds of people from the five local government areas of her constituency in jobs and attracted much federal presence.
She said, “I raise my shoulders high because everywhere I go, people say, ‘Binta, you have done well. You were so vocal on national issues and you were protective of your people.’ I am happy with myself, knowing that I served my people diligently and in all honesty.”
She indicated that personally, she would like to put the election behind her, except that her party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), believes that certain irregularities which marred the election should not be ignored.
She said, “My party is uncomfortable with the outcome of the election. There were lots of irregularities. There was over voting in most of the areas. Many of the card readers were not used. There were also cases of intimidation. Most of our party agents were intimidated and forced to align themselves to issues they disagreed with. That is why our party feels that the matter should be addressed and to see who won the right to represent our people. The party has the final say and I will abide by whatever it says.”
She said she was glad that President Muhammadu Buhari has been returned and the Presidency is still APC. “I congratulate him once again for his well-deserved re-election,” she said, and urged Adamawa people to come out this Saturday and vote APC, “because any vote outside APC is a wasted vote.”
She added, “All those who believe in President Buhari should believe in Governor Bindow. We should come out en mass and right the wrong of the elections of penultimate Saturday. If for nothing else, the achievements of Governor Bindow these past four years qualify him for reelection.”