US embassy cable - 03ABUJA2067

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 002067 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/01/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, NI 
SUBJECT: ADAMAWA STATE:  END OF YEAR SNAPSHOT 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY COUNSELOR JAMES MAXSTADT FOR REASONS 1.5 (B & 
D). 
 
 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
 
 
1. (U) Adamawa State, located on Nigeria's border with 
Cameroon, is a key battleground for control of Nigeria's 
political scene.  Many important Nigerians hail from Adamawa, 
including Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and it is the base 
from which he and others launched on the national scene. 
Atiku was elected as a PDP governor for Adamawa in 1999 
before being selected by President Obasanjo as his running 
mate.  Current governor Boni Haruna was Atiku's handpicked 
running mate then, and stepped into the position through the 
Vice President's largesse.  Atiku maintains strong influence 
over Haruna and is also married to the Lamido of Adamawa's 
daughter. 
 
 
2. (U) The Lamido (the local equivalent of the Emirs 
elsewhere in northern Nigeria) is one of the longest serving 
traditional rulers in Nigeria and the most important ruler in 
the area.  The ruling family was split during the 2003 
elections when the Lamido supported the Obasanjo/Atiku 
ticket, while another branch of the ruling family backed 
Buhari/Okadigbo and Haruna's ANPP challenger for governor. 
While the announced results in Adamawa state gave a landslide 
to the ruling PDP, many observers in the state believe that 
both Obasanjo/Atiku and Haruna lost the state handily. 
 
 
GOOD GOVERNANCE? 
---------------- 
 
 
3. (C) If they did, it was largely due to public dismay with 
Haruna's performance in office before the 2003 elections.  It 
was almost impossible to find anyone outside Vice President's 
and Governor's retainers with praise for his administration. 
Critics pointed to the decaying infrastructure, lack of 
electricity, and complete collapse of small-scale agriculture 
in the state.  Haruna and the Vice President were forced to 
travel within the state by helicopter to avoid, as one critic 
said, "being pelted with pieces of the roads as they slowed 
for potholes."  On election day for President and VP, Adamawa 
witnessed one of the highest levels of political 
intimidation, abusive security services and ballot stuffing 
seen in the election across Nigeria. 
 
 
4. (C) During a recent visit, local PDP politicians told 
PolOff that Haruna had not improved during his second term. 
They complained that the state government was unable to pay 
salaries for at least four months and that pensioners were 
currently in arrears for more than one year.  (Note: Haruna 
paid two months of the nine month backlog existing the week 
before elections, but apparently has paid almost nothing 
since winning.  End Note.)  Some of the PDP pols were 
anticipating that the 2007 elections would be an opportunity 
for change, but one pointed out that since Haruna was not 
elected in 1999, he could still be eligible to be elected 
again in 2007.  Both opposition and ruling party politicians 
accused Haruna (and by extension VP Atiku) of milking the 
state treasury for personal gain.  One claimed that Haruna 
had stashed 200 new vehicles purchased with state money at 
one of his properties in his hometown of Mubi. 
 
 
5. (C) A widely acknowledged secret is that Atiku has indeed 
built at least five new residences in Yola since becoming 
Vice President, and now owns over 500 buildings throughout 
the state.  Many other properties are said to be held in the 
name of the Governor and other state officials.  According to 
one newspaper report, Haruna gave a Naira 36 million (USD 
275,000) residence in Yola to Vice President Atiku Abubakar's 
latest wife, Jennifer, because "she wanted it for her new 
Yola residence."  Haruna is said to have immediately 
purchased an adjacent property for Naira 9 million and begun 
construction on a new residence for himself. 
 
 
6. (C) Several other supporters of the Vice President are 
said to have been building new residences in the same area of 
Yola in the past few months.  Critics also point to a 
multi-story office complex the governor is building in Yola 
and another office building belonging to Mr. John Elias, the 
state commissioner for local government and chieftancy 
affairs.  Elias is also said to have purchased a new BMW and 
Mercedes and began construction of another office complex in 
the Nyanya suburb of Abuja. 
 
 
WRONGFUL ARREST 
--------------- 
 
 
7. (C) All of this building scandal has led to other legal 
woes.  In September, well-known local businessman Alhaji 
Aliyu Rugange and two associates were arrested on a charge of 
"attempted mischief" when they took photos of properties 
belonging to Atiku and the Governor.  The police said the 
arrest of the 56-year old Rugange, a photographer and a 
driver was ordered by "Abuja."  When Rugange's attorney 
attempted to arrange bail, he was told "only the Vice 
President can order the men released."  A court recently 
awarded Naira 50,000 in damages to Rugange for the unlawful 
arrest, but the criminal case against him was only postponed 
until December.  In perhaps a Freudian misprint, one 
newspaper reported that the case was adjourned because "the 
persecution (sic) failed to get legal advice on the case." 
 
 
8. (C) Many opposition politicians in the state have also 
been arrested or harassed.  During the election campaign 
former Senator Paul Wampana and retired Admiral Murtala Nyako 
were "escorted" to Abuja, and only allowed to return on 
election day to vote.  According to Nyako, he was taken to 
State Security Service (SSS) headquarters for a lecture on 
appropriate behavior, and warned not to interfere with "the 
military's election day plans."  At least two witnesses at 
the present Federal Appeals Court case against Obasanjo's 
elections have been detained on their return to Yola, and 
interrogated by police and the SSS.  Counsel for opposition 
ANPP candidate Buhari protested to the Federal Appeals Court 
that his witnesses were being intimidated, and complained 
that this would have a chilling effect on future witnesses. 
 
 
JUDICIAL INTERFERENCE 
--------------------- 
 
 
9. (C) Haruna too has run afoul of the law since his second 
inauguration.  On September 4, the Adamawa State High Court 
ordered at least three vehicles belonging to Stirling 
Construction Company impounded over the company's failure to 
pay a Naira 8.76 million (USD 67,000) debt to one of its 
suppliers.  Stirling Construction - a recipient of many 
contracts from the Adamawa state government in the past four 
years - was originally founded by a prominent businessman 
from Maiduguri about 30 years ago.  After falling on hard 
times during the Abacha years, it is believed that Atiku 
offered lucrative government contracts from Adamawa State and 
the GON to Stirling Construction in exchange for a 
significant ownership interest.  Stirling is run today by one 
of the founder's sons, but he is widely believed to be 
fronting for Atiku and Haruna. 
 
 
10. (C) Upset about the legal impoundment of Stirling's 
vehicles, Haruna reportedly entered the court premises after 
hours late that evening, September 4, and demanded that court 
officials be called back in.  The court registrar came, a 
state government appointee told us, and released the vehicles 
"on the orders of the Governor."  After the incident hit the 
papers, the registrar told reporters he could not comment on 
the incident, but they should ask state officials about 
Haruna's involvement.  The Governor's office then denied 
Haruna had gone to the court.  The attorney for the plaintiff 
in the nonpayment suit against Sterling, Mr. Onyi Ekuegbu, 
commented that the Governor's actions made him "very sad for 
the rule of law and for the judiciary" 
 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
 
11. (C) Haruna was widely viewed as a "do-nothing" governor 
during his first term and is intensely disliked by both the 
grass-roots citizens and the political elite in Adamawa.  His 
ties to various businesses are storied, and he is also often 
rumored to be fronting for Atiku's ownership in several 
business enterprises.  Atiku is presenting himself as a 
dedicated fighter of corruption in his run for the Presidency 
in 2007, and appears to be pressing Haruna to hold down the 
noise of problems in their home base.  With a continuing rift 
in Adamawa between PDP politicians that won the election and 
ANPP politicians that believe their party received the most 
votes, and a split in the royal family there, keeping 
Adamawa's woes quiet will remain difficult for the near 
future. 
MEECE