Supporters of Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday launched a campaign to recall the chai-rman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Profe-ssor Jibril Aminu, from the Senate over his alleged loyalty to former president Ibrahim Babangida.
Key figures in the Atiku’s camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Adamawa Central Senatorial District, met yesterday in the office of the deputy governor, Bello Tukur, and resolved to begin a process to recall the senator.
After the meeting, they addressed a news conference at the zonal office of the party in Yola, where they issued an eight-point allegation against him and vowed to recall him.
The secretary of the PDP in the zone, Mr Elson Awano, alleged that Professor Aminu “set up his own campaign machinery contrary to the party’s directives,” and that he did not campaign for the re-election of President Obasanjo and Governor Boni Haruna.
Mr Awano further alleged that, “Professor Aminu’s alleged political romance with an ANPP governor from the North-West who is believed to be a strong supporter of a presidential aspirant from the North Central is a conscious attempt to undermine the collective aspiration of the people of Adamawa State and indeed the entire North-East subregion for the presidency.
“We find this not only embarrassing but disgraceful and will not be tolerated by anybody in the PDP from Adamawa Central, much less by Professor Jibril Aminu who, through the good will of the vice president, our 2007 presidential hopeful, Governor Boni Haruna and the entire people of Adamawa Central zone, got elected into the Senate with ease,” he stated.
The secretary was acco-mpanied to the news conference by Water Resources Commissioner in the state, Alhaji Adamu Aliyu Must-apha, some aides to the deputy governor and some known loyalists of the vice president who also alleged that the Senator had been showing contempt and high handedness to party leaders, claiming that “on many occasions, Professor Aminu had ordered party leaders out of his house.”
He said that “in view of the above therefore, we have resolved to initiate the process of recalling Professor Aminu from the Senate in line with section 69 of the 1999 constitution… We are dete-rmined to achieve this feat and nobody should be under the illusion that it is not achievable.”
However, as soon as the news conference was over, some supporters of Senator Jibril Aminu rejected the move to recall him as misch-ievous and unachievable.
In an interview with Daily Trust, the former chairman of Yola North local government area, Alhaji Baba Aminu Attah, said the allegations against Professor Aminu were false and unfounded and that the move to recall him would not succeed.
“Professor Aminu is a very respected man here and any attempt to recall him would only destroy our party. Some elements have been trying to undermine this party and we’ll not allow them to destroy us. The party elders would intervene and Professor Aminu would not be recalled,” Baba Aminu said.
In his reaction, Professor Aminu dismissed the allega-tions against him as a litany of lies concocted for mischievous purposes.
Aminu, who spoke to Daily Trust in a telephone interview, said that the recall moves would not succeed because his people would follow all peaceful moves to defend their mandate.
He said he was properly elected by the majority of lawful voters in his constituency and that no one would just come over night to deny them of their lawful representation.
Professor Aminu alleged that those who addressed the news conference were not the true leaders of the PDP in his constituency, insisting that the true PDP leaders in the area are with him.
The Senator defended his relationship with former President Babangida saying that the former president “has been a friend and a brother” with whom he has had a long standing association rega-rdless of political affiliations.
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