Bindow may replace deputy, suspends him from campaign tour

Adamawa state Governor, Muhammed Jibrilla Bindow has banned his deputy, Martins Babale, from following him on campaign tour in the state.

The elders of Adamawa southern zone, which is the senatorial area of the deputy governor, wrote Bindow last year demanding Babale’s removal or lose the support of the voters from the zone. The embattled deputy governor last week was banned by All Progressive Congress (APC) youths from entering his private residence in Toungo, his hometown when he was on sensitization tour to canvas votes for the governor and his party.

When Bindow visited Toungo Babale’s hometown this week, Babale was conspicuously absent at the rally with his supporters whilst the spokesman of the APC elders in the area, Mansur Toungo, said that the people of the area would have stoned the governor if he came with his deputy.

Toungo who accused Babale of anti-party activities, pointed out that the governor would lose the area if he fails to replace his deputy who according to him, is a political liability to the party, alleging that Babale who was nominated by Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate is secretly working for PDP candidates in the zone.

To add salt to the political wounds of Babale, a group, Chamba Youths organisation representing Ganye, Toungo, Mayo Belwa and Jada local governments in his zone had giving another warning to governor Bindow that the group will mobilize its members against his election if he fails to drop his deputy.

The Guardian investigations revealed that the governor is looking for how to offload his deputy without generating further crisis. When The Guardian contacted Babale, he neither picked phone calls nor replied text messages.