Abdullahi Adamu: PDP's Founding Member, 44 Yrs Of winning Polls, Facts On APC's New National Chairman

By President Muhammadu Buhari's choice and recommendation, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa state, ranks number one among APC national chairmanship aspirants who were supposed to slug it out at the convention on Saturday, March 26.

But Senator Adamu's journey to this sought-after and enviable rating was one situated in an atmosphere of multiple ligations which threatened the ruling party's unity, if not its existence until President Buhari's late, yet needful intervention.

A look with Legit.ng into the former governor's political career reveals how far he has come and just why Buhari felt this 76-year-old elder statement is the man to stir the APC's ship to the 2023 general elections.

1. Abacha's appointee

Having been brought into politics as far back as 1977 and elected into the Constituent Assembly which drafted the constitution for Nigeria's Second Republic (1979–1983), Adamu's mettle in public service was discovered by late General Sani Abacha and was appointed in 1994 to the National Constitutional Conference.

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The same military regime in 1995 made him a minister of state of works and housing ministry until November 1997.

2. PDP's founding member

Upon the resumption of political activities in 1997, the senator joined the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP).

But a year later (1998) Adamu became a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

It was on this political platform he ascended the Nasarawa governorship seat after winning the state's gubernatorial election in 1999.

Even more, he contested for a second term in office in 2003 and emerged as the winner in the then Nasarawa state governorship poll.

3. 44-year-long winning streak

It is interesting and rather a statement of serious challenge to other aspirants that Adamu prides himself on having a 44-year-long winning streak in all elections he had contested since 1978.

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Boasting about this to journalists recently, he said:

“From about the year 1978 to date, I have never lost an election. And it is my hope that if I get the opportunity to serve as chairman I will provide the leadership necessary for APC to continue to dominate the political space in this country.

“I am probably the last aspirant to declare his intention to run. I acted deliberately. My family tradition, my religion has taught me, when it comes to leadership for communities."

4. Queen Elizabeth's friend

The current British monarch, Queen Elizabeth, possibly has fresh memories of how well she was entertained by cultural troupes in Nsarawa in 2003 during her visit to the northern state which was then governed by Adamu.

5. Initiator of School Feeding Programme in Nasarawa

Adamu is also famed as the governor who launched the School Feeding Programme in Nasarawa, a scheme that provided "a fortified nutritional supplement to primary school children."

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APC's consensus national chairmanship aspirant finally revealed as Buhari, governors reach agreement

Meanwhile, APC governors had aligned with President Buhari on the candidature of Adamu as the chairman of the ruling party.

A governor from the northwest said that there was no objection when the endorsement of Adamu was raised.

He said the issue of the national secretary was also resolved. A top source, while corroborating the governor’s statement, said during the villa meeting, the governors aligned themselves with President Buhari’s position on Senator Adamu.

Source: Legit.ng