Binta suffered a slight loss penultimate Saturday to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Adamawa North senatorial election, Ishaku Cliff, who polled 78,337 votes against Binta’s 63,229; a difference of 15,118 votes.
It is a defeat which shocked Binta’s supporters, who had over the years grown used to Binta winning elections from 1999 when she started her political career in Kaduna State from where she went to the House of Representatives twice, to 2007 when she shifted to her home Adamawa State and returned to the House of Representatives for the Madagali/Michika federal constituency.
Senator Binta, who spoke to journalists in her house in Yola, on the February 23 election, said she was not in a mourning mood just because she lost the poll. “I was almost in tears this morning when lots of people came here. They came to comfort me but the way they did it, it was like I had lost someone. I said, ‘No, dear. It’s not like that. It’s not as if anyone died,” she said.
The lawmaker added that she truly was not feeling too bad that she had been said to have lost the election, as after all; she had experienced series of victories in the past and had created a legacy of achievements that gives her a feeling of fulfilment.
She said, “The joy that I have is this: it was a race that I ran and lots of people applauded it. In the times that I have been to the National Assembly, it has not been for myself. It has always been for the common good of my people. And I did what any member of the National Assembly would be expected to do.
“I raise my shoulders high because everywhere I go, people say, ‘Binta, you have done well. You were so vocal on national issues and you were protective of your people.’ I am happy with myself, knowing that I served my people diligently and in all honesty.”
She, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the election of February 23, when pressed for her opinion, but said she was leaving the matter to her party.
She said, “My party believes certain irregularities which marred the election should not be ignored. There was over voting in most of the areas. Many of the card readers were not used. There were also cases of intimidation. Most of our party agents were forced to align themselves to issues they disagreed with. That is why our party feels that the matter should be addressed and to see who won the right to represent our people. The party has the final say.”
Binta congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari for his re-election and urged the Adamawa people to come out on Saturday and vote for APC. She said, “Everyone should vote APC because any vote outside APC is a wasted vote. All those who believe in President Buhari should believe in Governor Bindow. We should come out en mass and right the wrong of the elections of penultimate Saturday.”
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