Typical of the massive political awareness in Northern Nigeria, Gombe state in the North-east is no exception judging from the continuous political horse trading and last minute realignment of interests ahead of the September 28 commencement of political campaigns as specified by the nation’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Reminiscent of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) era before its merger with other legacy political parties that gave birth to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) is enjoying massive political goodwill. This is similar to the CPC that was led by President Muhammadu Buhari which was a beautiful bride of sorts in Northern Nigeria that was supported by the electorate and attracted politicians in droves.
Swift peep into the politics of Gombe state, the NNPP has Hon. Khamisu Ahmad Mailantarki, a grassroots politician and youths mobiliser, a former two-term member of the House of Representatives, as it governorship candidate. He is one personality who can be described as the major of face of opposition politics in the state since the 2011 elections when he overwhelmingly emerged as a member of the House of Representatives on the banner of the defunct CPC. He defeated the then government’s force in spite of the glaring stimulus of the incumbency factor.
It is also an undisputable fact that Mailantarki was the rallying point of the APC and its undisputable leader during the merger process before he was subsequently joined by the likes of former governor now Senator Danjuma Goje from the New-PDP sequel to the irreconcilable differences he had with his successor then Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo.
Mailantarki, as a foundation member of the APC and a critical stakeholder during the formation of the party, one can understand his grievance when he left the fold of the APC in the state, a party he can modestly say he served as its springboard, for the new kid on the block the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) over alleged deliberate attempts at frustrating his business, youths’ support programmes, and his magnificent political interests.
In fact, this is an accusation he has severally leveled at the doorsteps of Governor Inuwa Yahaya whom he further accused of mortgaging the future of the state through incessant and reckless borrowing and foisting unfriendly policies on the people, vowing to rewrite the wrongs when he is elected to govern the state in 2023.
But political analysts and many pundits have pointed out that though Mailantarki is standing on very solid grounds that may enable him make incredible impacts. This is due to his previous performance at the House of Representatives as well as the soaring popularity of his party’s presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. Although upstaging an incumbent governor, who is seeking a second term is not a walk in the park, Mailantarki’s popularity positions him at advantage to wrest power from the Governor Inuwa Yahaya, whose political base is becoming shaky and wobbling by the day.
At the side of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the promoter of Mailantarki Football Academy will also have to contend with Jibrin Barde a retired banker who has since picked the ticket of the PDP. Barde also prides as the messiah who has come to rescue Gombe state from the clutches of despair and despondency with his cutting edge ideas and sound knowledge of the economy. But, the crisis rocking the PDP after the party’s presidential primary election may play against Barde who many stakeholders accused of sidelining them and operating a one man army.
Equally, with few months to the governorship elections, there are clear indications that Mailantarki will surely defeat the APC government and install a youth friendly and all inclusive government in Gombe state.
Gaddafi writes from Abuja via Gaddafi_i@yahoo.com*