Engr Umar Mustapha, the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Adamawa State, has withdrawn his bid in favor of his All Progressives Congress (APC) rival, Senator Aishatu Binani.
Umar Mustapha, commonly known as Otumba, stated during a press conference in Yola on Sunday evening that due to problems he had while running for governor, he chose to put his goal on hold and completely support Binani’s governorship aspiration.
“I am convinced that Binani would deliver people-centered leadership that prioritizes human capital and resource development in order to thrive Adamawa State,” he stated.
“That is why I am calling on all my supporters to come out on Saturday, March 11, and vote for Distinguished Senator Aishatu Ahmed Binani as Governor of Adamawa State.”
He added that he was putting all the structures of his Otumba Campaign Organisation at Binani’s disposal.
DRILLOGIST reports that the Otumba, who has long been estranged from his Labour Party leadership at both the state and national levels, pronounced the endorsement for Binani on his own account.
He had for long not been working with his Labour Party, and has recently been accusing the state leadership of the party of working with the state chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the success of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri in the scheduled March 11 election.
Umar Mustapha had just before the Presidential election of last Saturday, made open endorsement of the APC candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, now president-elect, confessing that he was not having the sort of relationship with Labour Party’s Peter Obi to promote his candidacy.
Umar Mustapha did not clarify at the Sunday briefing if he had in effect left Labour Party; as he tactically left that aspect out of the answers he provide to questions that journalists put to him.
Senator Aishatu Binani who attended the brief ceremony at which Umar Mustapha announced her endorsement, said it was a welcome development and that it would boost her chances at the election of coming Saturday.
“This endorsement of Otumba will in itself alone send jitters into many circles,” Binani said.
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