JOS - The presidential aspiration of Governor Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa state has received a boost following expressions of support from many groups within and outside his state, even as pressures mount on him to make a public declaration.

It will be recalled that on his return from recent overseas trip, many groups including the Nasarawa Youth Assembly, Arewa Peoples Agenda, among others stormed Lafia, the state capital to urge the governor to begin a massive campaign toward succeeding President Olusegun Obasanjo on May 29, 2007.

But Alhaji Adamu prefers, instead, to conclude the on-going nationwide consultation embarked upon by a panel he set up headed by Alhaji Aliu Akwe-Doma, a former Plateau State deputy governor and Adamu’s rival in the 1999 and 2003 governorship elections.

"We’re asking the governor to begin his campaign because we see him as the right candidate that can take our country to the promised land," says Malam Saidu Audu, the national co-ordinator of Nasarawa Youth Assembly. "We will maintain the pressure until he says yes."

According to Dr. Samuel Jimba, the governor’s director of communication, "he (Adamu) has been under pressure to publicly declare, but he’s a man who believes in wide consultation before taking any decision. He did so before he contested the gubernatorial polls and it only means that he won’t do less this time."

Continuing, Jimba said: "We’re overwhelmed by the interest shown by Nigerians. It only goes to show that we’re on the right track but we’re not relenting. The support itself is a challenge for our organisation to go the extra mile to ensure that we do not disappoint our supporters and admirers."

Jimba also defended the governor’s support of the failed third term project, saying that it is no crime for people to back what they believe in. "Alhaji Adamu has always been a firm supporter of President Obasanjo’s programmes. His loyalty has never been in doubt. So, the governor backed what he believed in. "As a matter of fact, that is the kind of transition that this country deserves so that the much-treasured continuity is guaranteed."

Source: Posted to the Web by Vanguard: Friday, July 14, 2006