By Sani Barau

Preparations for the race to the exalted Dougie Government House Yola is gaining momentum by the day as political activities picked up mostly in the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

First to swing into action by publicly declaring his intention is a member of the House of Representatives and the chairman of the House Committee on Army, Honourable Abdulrazak Namdas.

The lawmaker had on the 1st January during his birthday ceremony in Yola, attended by prominent stakeholders of the APC led by the party’s acting zonal Vice Chairman, Professor Mamman Tahir announced that he will be running for a bigger office In the state come 2023.

The announcement was received with thunderous cheers by all present at the event with many expressing their readiness to work with Namdas whom they described as the most qualified person to fly the APC flag in the 2023 elections.

They also described Namdas as an exceptional lawmaker who has achieved a lot in the areas of education, youths and women empowerment, rural water and electricity supply, and most recently, a focus on rural health facilities by distributing health equipment and the ongoing construction of a health center in his constituency within his over five years at the National Assembly.

These they believe are attributes that make Namdas easy to present and accepted by the electorates as the one to pilot the affairs of the state.

The singular action taken by Namdas seems to have awakened so many sleeping members of the party who have been quietly nursing the intention to run for the office of the governor.

Just today, Saturday, the state witnessed the return of a former governor, Umaru Jibrilla Bindow who has been in limbo since losing power to the incumbent PDP-led government about two years ago. One does not need a soothsayer to know that there is more to the visit that coincided with the long-awaited meeting of the All Progressives Congress where members who have decamped to other party were received.

The former governor was received by his loyalists at the Yola International Airport and is believed to also hold consultation meetings even though he did not attend the APC meeting.

Prominent among those received were the senator representing Adamawa Northern senatorial zone, Ishaku Abbo, senator Abdulaziz Nyako, former governor Bala James Ngillari, former member House of Representatives, Fons Nwangubi among others.

There are indications that other members of the party who also want to run for the exalted office are making plans to surface soon. With the blaze trailed by Namdas it will be difficult for others to catch up with Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas who has gone far with his consultation visit and has been well receive by the numerous stakeholders whom he visited.

Namdas has since accepting the call to run for the office of the governor, in the spirit of humility and respect visited prominent stakeholders of the party in their private residences in Yola and Abuja to seek their support and blessings.

While in Yola, the lawmaker visited his boss, the former governorship candidate of the defunct ACN, Engr. Markus Gundiri, a ticket they ran together. The dou then visited the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal at this country resident in Hong local government, in a meeting seen as fruitful and promising.

Namdas also paid a visit to senator Abdulaziz Nyako, Professor Mamman Tahir, Sarkin Matasa Adamawa Wakili Boya and Kaura Adamawa among many stakeholders.

The lawmaker has also paid a consultation visit to former governor Bala James Ngillari, former deputy governor Bello Tukur, Buba Marwa, Aliyu Idi Hong just to must mention a few.

The continuous consultation visits have registered his intentions to the party stakeholders and some prominent leaders of the state as the preparations for political activities ahead of the 2023 polls heats up.

The lawmaker who has since endeared himself into the minds of both members and nonmembers of the APC is proving to be the aspirant to beat in the party primaries.

If credibility, foresight, hard work, tenacity and progressive demeanor is anything to go by, Namdas will no doubt clinch the APC governorship ticket ahead of the 2023 polls.

Sani Barau sent in the piece from Yola