Recall: Jubril Aminu Threatens Court Action
By Oke Epia
More hurdles are yet emerging for the Adamawa State Government in its alleged move to mobilise the people of Adamawa Central Senatorial District for the recall of Senator Jubril Aminu as the senator, THISDAY checks revealed may have concluded arrangement to drag the Adamawa Government to court for allegedly inciting the people of the district against him.
This new twist to the crisis, it was gathered, became imperative after Senator Aminu was allegedly prevented, penultimate weekend, by the state government from meeting with party officials from his district.
An aide to Aminu told THISDAY that the former ambassador to the United States may have engaged a prominent Nigerian lawyer and human rights crusader to pray the court to stop the Adamawa Government from further "harassing his supporters in a bid to force them to append their signature for Senator Aminu's recall from the Senate."
The move to recall Aminu started about three weeks ago when some PDP officials from Adamawa Central Senatorial District alleged at a press conference that Senator Aminu has not shown commitment to the party (PDP) on whose platform he won his senatorial seat in 2003 election. The professor was also said to have refused to campaign for the incumbent governor, Boni Haruna, during campaign for the 2003 governorship election.
According to Elson Awano, the spokesman for the group, Jubril Aminu has not done anything since elected as senator to justify his continuing stay in the Senate. He also accused the senator of supporting "a presidential candidate from the North Central", which was considered injurious to the ambition of the Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The professor, however, said he would rather abide by President Olusegun Obasanjo's warning that 2007 election should be put aside for now. "I think it doesn't make sense if we continue to distract President Obasanjo from the laudable reforms he has embarked on, that is why I am not interested in this issue of 2007 election until a more auspicious time. But meanwhile, no one has a right to tell me who I should associate with." He said former President Ibrahim Babangida has been his friend long ago and "I served as minister under him for seven years. So my relationship with him is not political."
But the senator had dismissed the allegation as "nonsense." While reacting to the allegations at a press conference, Professor Aminu said, "what is happening has nothing to do with the PDP as a party, what is happening is a move initiated, orchestrated and being pursued by Government House, Yola, to try to remove me from my Senatorial mandate given to me by the people of Adamawa Central. Undoubtedly, we heard that there was a petition that was dismissed, and I do not know what I have done or what I have failed to do. There was a tract, which was read by one who claims to be on the executive of the State PDP, but obviously he did not write that tract."
But Governor Haruna had immediately dismissed this, saying that the government had nothing to do with it. He said although he would not want to join issue with the professor because of the respect he has for him, he however said if Senator Aminu had problem with the people of his constituency and wanted him to assist, he should come out to say.
The two sides had maintained a hard-line, while activities to recall the senator had become the main issue in Adamawa State throughout the previous week. Efforts by the professor to reach out to people of the district were unsuccessful as the state government was accused of scaring the PDP officials away from the senator.
According to the senator, "there has been no development in the PDP, as far as I know. The PDP, as a party is intact. The only development from the point of the PDP is that I tried to hold a meeting with the chairmen of the seven local governments in my constituency and they were not able to come. Some of them even went to my senatorial office and I understand they were stopped from attending the meeting. Ditto the Adamawa Central Senatorial District of the state executive of the PDP, I invited them for the meeting and letters were delivered to all of them but we were not able to hold the meeting because we have been able to see how they were stopped."
This revelation may have informed the intervention of the Senate mid last week, when it mandated its committee on Federal Character and Govern-ment Affairs to mediate in the plot to recall Senator Aminu and an ANPP senator from Kebbi State, Senator Sani Sami.
The move by the Senate was sequel to a motion brought by Senator Yari Gandi (ANPP, Sokoto) via Order 14 (Privilege) in which he sought a resolution to express support for the two senators. While seconding the motion, Senator Abubakar Sodangi (PDP, Nassarawa) said although the situation affect two senators today, "we don't know how many senators would face this situation tomorrow because once a senator has a little misunderstanding with his state governor or a senior civil servant, they start talking about recalling the senator." The committee was giving two weeks to report back to the Senate.
Meanwhile, opposition to the recall appeared to be mounting in Adamawa State as the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) in the state last Thursday vowed to do every possible to stop the Adamawa State Gover-nment from recalling Senator Jubril Aminu. Addressing the press at Jimeta, Yola on behalf of the state executive of the party, a member of the ANPP national caucus, Alhaji Dauda Birma said "ANPP does not and would never subscribe to a stage-managed plan to recall the senator." Birma further said that the concern of ANPP was only in the interest fairness, justice and moral justification, saying that Professor Aminu is not only a statesman but also an international figure which the country must protect from mockery and disdain.
However, an aide to the senator told THISDAY that the professor is peeved by the way the state government has resorted to manipulation and coercion to make people sign for the recall, while alleging that "in several cases, some people are paid to sign on behalf of many who have refused to append their signature to the document. Professor Aminu felt the only way to stop this harassment of his supporters and prevent these people from presenting forged document to INEC is to drag them to court."
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