•Adamu
The former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu has announced his decision to quit partisan politics.
According to Adamu, he noticed that he had started developing allergies for political activities.
He made the disclosure over the weekend at the presentation and launching of a book titled, ‘Progressive governance: Showcasing the achievements of His Excellency, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State 2019-2023’, which was written by Abdullahi Tanimu, reports The Nation.
Speaking on the content of the book, which has 230 pages and a total of 23 chapters, the former APC national chairman, who was the first civilian governor of the state, commended the author for his efforts in writing out all the achievements of the governor since he was elected into office.
He said: “I am not only a retiree but I am out of politics. I’m beginning to develop little allergies for political activities now and political speeches.
“So, forgive me, I will not make any political statements beyond asking for further and more support for the governor of the state.
“He needs all your prayers and goodwill to be able to succeed. So, to encourage the author for his good work, I will launch 20 copies of the book for one million naira.”
Adamu, popularly called the “Bridge,” began his political career in 1977 when he was elected a member of the Constituent Assembly, which drafted the 1979 Constitution.
At the beginning of the Second Republic, he became a founding member of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) which was formed from a political association, the National Movement.
At the time, his home state, Nasarawa was part of the old Plateau State. Thereafter, he was eventually elected Secretary of the NPN in Plateau State and later its chairman.
Upon the collapse of the Second Republic in 1983, Adamu went to the University of Jos to study law as a part-time student. He was through with his studies by 1992 and enrolled in the Nigeria Law School, Lagos.
In 1994, the new APC state chairman was appointed a member of the National Constitutional Conference convoked by the military administration of Sani Abacha.
A year later, precisely in 1995, Adamu was appointed the Minister of State for Works and Housing, a position he occupied until November 17, 1997.
When the ban on politics was lifted by the Abacha administration, he joined the defunct United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) on whose platform he wanted to run for the governorship seat of Nasarawa State. That process was truncated following the death of Abacha in 1998.
In 1999, following the restoration of democracy in Nigeria in 1999, Adamu became a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He contested and won the governorship election of Nasarawa State. He was governor for eight years between May 1999 and 2007.
While he served as governor, Mr Adamu chaired the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) between 1999 and 2004.
In 2007, the year he left office, the former governor won election into the Senate on PDP’s platform to represent Nasarawa West Senatorial District in 2007.
On January 29, 2014, he and 10 other PDP senators joined the APC.
In the Senate, Adamu was appointed the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture.
He also chaired the Northern Senators Forum (NSF) but was removed in 2018 for alleged “financial mismanagement and maladministration,” according to a letter from the Forum’s signed by its then spokesperson, Dino Melaye, and read on the floor of the upper chamber by the then Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
Adamu was at various times Chairman of the Board of Directors of Benue Cement Company, Gboko and a member of the Board of Directors of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
Adamu, who is married with five children, holds the traditional titles of Sarkin Yakin Keffi and Aare Obateru of the Source, Ife, Osun State.
