Gombe state is located in the North-eastern geo-political zone of Nigeria.
The zone is synonymous with or defined by insecurity precipitated by the Boko Haram insurgency. It was from this epicentre that the criminal elements have wreaked havoc on other parts of the country, especially the North for close to a decade and half now.
Known by its cognomen – Jewel in the Savannah – Gombe state has enjoyed relative peace where the other components, namely Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba and Bauchi have had to contend with all manner of security challenges.
Perhaps its epithet is working for it. Speaking figuratively in this instance, a jewel is a precious possession that is dear to one’s heart. During the Second World War, a story is told of how Adolf Hitler’s order for the bombing of Paris was ignored.
When the bombers surfaced in the skies of the French capital, they were overwhelmed by the architectural grandeur of the city. They chose to disobey the tyrant’s murderous order by dropping no bombs, and returned to base to face the consequences of their defiance.
The insurgents have over the years stayed away from this (precious) Jewel in the Savannah like Hitler’s bombers. It is, perhaps, the reason the state has become safe and trouble-free.
However, the relative peace being enjoyed by the state is now threatened by the political feud within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The two main gladiators in the feud are the incumbent Governor of the state, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya and the Senator representing the Gombe Central Senatorial Zone, Alhaji Danjuma Goje.
Senator Goje is a seasoned, highly respected grassroots politician and the heartbeat of Gombe politics since the nation returned to democratic governance in 1999. The duo are measuring swords over the control of the party (structure) in the state. It is a needless war!
What makes the supremacy battle in Gombe a sad development is that the incumbent governor is a protégé of Senator Goje. There are instances, since the return of politics in 1999, where godsons have rebelled against their godfathers. One glaring instance was the revolt of Dr. Bukola Saraki against his biological father and head of the Saraki Dynasty, the late Oloye Olusola Saraki.
After Bukola unseated his sibling, Sen. Gbemisola Saraki, in the Senate in 2015, Oloye wanted Gbemi to succeed his brother as Governor of the state. But Bukola kicked against his father’s choice and installed Abdulfatah Ahmed as his successor. Father and son fell apart.
Then, there was the revolt of Governor Umar Ganduje of Kano state against his benefactor boss, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
The former was the latter’s Deputy Governor who took over the reins in 2015. The gap between the duo became so wide you could drive a trailer between them!
Ex-governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state and the incumbent Governor Nyesom Wike are now sworn foes. Barr. Wike was Barr. Amaechi’s Chief of Staff before the latter nominated him for a Ministerial slot. It was in that position that he sharpened his teeth with which to bite his benefactor. Today, the two gladiators do not see eye to eye.
Looking at the antecedents of Senator Goje, he clearly does not appear to be overbearing. His credentials stand contrary to that since his emergence as the Governor of the state on the platform of the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) in 2003, ousting the incumbent, Alhaji Abubakar Habu Hashidu of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP). That was the apotheosis of his political career. It was also the time he discovered the incumbent Governor Inuwa Yahaya and made him his Commissioner for Finance for seven years.
When the Buhari tsunami gathered strength in 2014 as a result of the amalgamation of the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), a faction of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and some aggrieved members of the PDP to form the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Goje became the rallying point for the new party.
However, the PDP still held sway, enabling Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo to capture the seat of power in the state in 2011; he returned to power in 2015, defeating Inuwa Yahaya.
But Senator Goje’s political sagacity came to an apogee in 2019 when he singlehandedly installed Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya as governor in that year’s election. He had taken him on a campaign odyssey to all the 114 wards of the 11 Local Government Areas of the state.
It is a great pity that Governor Inuwa has today turned against his benefactor, using the size 11 shoes (representing the number of LGAs) Senator Goje provided for him to kick mud to his face.
The act of kicking mud to Senator Goje’s face did not just start today. As recently as November 5, 2021, the outskirts of the town along the airport road was turned into a battleground between the supporters of Senator Goje and a large of army of goons known as Yan Kallare, believed to be loyal to Governor Inuwa Yahaya.
Their mission was to stop the convoy of the Senator from entering the town. Curiously, the policemen at the scene did nothing to avert the ugly situation. At the end of the day, more than seven innocent folks were wasted and several others seriously injured.
Then, in the build-up to the Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25, 2023, the supremacy contest between the duo got to an acme when Senator Goje and his entire political structure decided to jettison the ruling party. That decision rattled the party at the centre, prompting the Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to intervene.
A feud between the Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, who was the Northeast Presidential Campaign Coordinator, and the prime mover of Gombe politics is a bad augury that must be nipped in the bud, swiftly.
Although the situation was papered up, it did not stop the ruling party from losing the presidential race to the PDP in the state. To add insult to injury, the party lost two senatorial zones (Gombe North and South) to the main opposition party. The PDP also clinched five out of the six House of Representatives slots in the state. Senator Goje turned out to be the only colossus to retain his seat as the Senator representing Gombe Central Zone. His successful return to the Senate without as much as breaking campaign sweats is a testament to his larger than life influence in the state, particularly his constituency.
To hang a dog, you have to first give it a bad name. For failing to deliver the state to the ruling party on February 25, the state chapter of the party must find a scapegoat. And Senator Goje fitted in, ironically. But how could someone that had no opportunity to deploy his arsenal to campaign for the Tinubu project be accused of anti-party activities?
Curiously, the ruling party won the March 18 governorship race. If Senator Goje had any intention to sabotage the party in the state, wouldn’t he have done that during the gubernatorial contest directly involving his erstwhile protégé to prove a point?
Sciamachy, an instance of fighting an imaginary enemy, is one of politicians’ favourite pastimes. The Yahaya camp has carried the bad blood to an unimaginable extent by expelling Senator Goje from the party he helped to build.
And a couple of days ago, the party followed up with the expulsion of Amos Bulus Kilawangs, the Senator representing the Gombe Southern Zone, also for alleged anti-party activities during the February 25 general elections.
As things stand today, the Jewel is now being pulverised by the warring parties in the Savannah. It is incumbent on the leadership of the party at the centre to wade into the crisis. Interestingly, the incoming president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is adept at keeping his mentees and godsons together and nurturing them, politically.
The Gombe gladiators need to learn one or two things about how to relate to a benefactor.
