The Political Arena Erupts: “If Failure Was a Person, It’s Umar Ardo,” Declares Kumangar in Scathing Riposte to SDP Candidate

The Political Arena Erupts: “If Failure Was a Person, It’s Umar Ardo,” Declares Kumangar in Scathing Riposte to SDP Candidate

The Political Arena Erupts: “If Failure Was a Person, It’s Umar Ardo,” Declares Kumangar in Scathing Riposte to SDP Candidate

The political landscape in Adamawa State was jolted by a blistering war of words this week, following a fiery exchange between a former top government official and a perennial governorship contender.

Dr. Umar Ardo, the 2023 Social Democratic Party (SDP) gubernatorial candidate, found himself the target of a searing rebuke from Solomon Kumangar, the immediate past Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Strategy. The verbal duel ignited after Ardo publicly mocked Kumangar’s recently published book, “Fintiri: The Man They Cannot Stop.”

Taking to social media, Ardo derided the work, suggesting a more “accurate” title would be “Fintiri: The Man They Made Governor.” This critique, implying Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri was a creation of political godfathers, provoked a fierce and personal counterattack from the author, a known ally of the Governor.

In a formal statement released on Tuesday, Kumangar did not hold back, labelling Ardo a “failed politician” and a “political mercenary” whose influence, he claimed, is limited to social media chatter rather than tangible electoral success.

“This man has been contesting elections since my son was two years old,” Kumangar remarked pointedly. “Now my son is grown, and he is still contesting. If failure was a person, it is Umar Ardo.”

Kumangar went further, challenging the bedrock of Ardo’s political relevance. He dared the SDP stalwart to demonstrate any grassroots strength by sponsoring a winning candidate for a mere councillorship position in his home area of Kojoli or anywhere in the state.

The author stood firmly by his book, describing it as a factual record of Governor Fintiri’s political journey. He invited Ardo to pen a formal, fact-based rebuttal if he disputed its contents, rather than resorting to what Kumangar called “social media posts that only advertise his ignorance.”

At the core of the clash are competing narratives of Governor Fintiri’s ascendancy. While Ardo’s barb hinted at a governor manufactured by “kingmakers,” Kumangar dismissed this as fantasy. “I challenge Ardo to point to any person who can claim they made Fintiri the Governor of Adamawa State,” he asserted, championing the governor’s independent political machinery.

Dr. Umar Ardo, a long-standing and vocal critic of the Fintiri administration, has yet to issue a formal response to Kumangar’s stinging remarks. This aggressive defence from within the governor’s circle signals a hardening of positions as the battle over Adamawa’s political legacy and future narrative intensifies.