Senator Aisha Dahiru, popularly known as Binani, is at the verge of making history as the first elected female governor in Nigeria, if she wins the March 18th 2023 Adamawa gubernatorial elections.
Binani, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has won her local government area.
She defeated her closest rival and incumbent governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, of the PDP in Yola South Local Government Area with a voting gap of about 11,000.
She polled 32,255 while Mr Fintiri polled 21,006 to come in second place.
After the announcement of results from 18 of Adamawa’s 21 local government areas, Mr Fintiri has so far polled 346,107 votes Binani has 329,770 votes, a difference of about 45,000 votes.
Binani has won seven of the 18 local governments announced so far.
Last May, Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) announced Aishatu “Binani” Dahiru as the winner of the governorship primary in the northeastern state of Adamawa, making her the only female flagbearer of any mainstream party in the governorship and state assembly elections.
The 51-year-old politician could also make history as the first elected female governor in Africa’s largest democracy on Saturday, when only 24 of the 416 candidates vying for office are women.
Dahiru could be announced governor-elect as early as Sunday afternoon if she can defeat 13 other opponents, including the incumbent Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, who is seeking re-election under the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Getting the ticket was no small feat.
In the primaries, Dahiru fended off competition from male political veterans including former anti-corruption chief and ex-presidential aspirant Nuhu Ribadu and Jibrilla Bindow, the immediate past governor of the state. Months after the primary, a state court nullified the result due to irregularities before a higher court later quashed the judgement.
The election proper presents a different challenge for Dahiru, a serving senator since 2019 and previously, a one-term member of the House of Representatives. But pundits say it could usher in change in what remains a conservative society.
Religious scholars have openly preached against her candidacy. Across the region, a deadly 13-year insurrection by Boko Haram, which outlaws Western education and has abducted women and children, continues.
But her supporters, especially the rural working class and women, remain unfazed. Residents say for years, she has been widely involved in philanthropic efforts across the state, helping low-income households.
Al Jazeera reports an advocate of girls in Yola, Yasmin Buba, as saying that “This is the path Aishatu has laid out a long time ago. Unlike other politicians who get to the communities through stakeholders, Aishatu interfaces with the people directly.”
*Additional reports by Al Jazeera
