Election like all life’s competition is about winning. It is also a game of numbers.The numerically strongest, and one with most goodwill from the voters, all things being equal, emerges victorious. It is in the light of the above, all things considered, that the pendulum of victory is swinging assuredly towards Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, the incumbent governor of Gombe State.
As preparations for the gubernatorial and state assembly elections reach a crescendo, the reelection bid of Governor Inuwa last Monday received a major boost. Eight governorship candidates from the opposition parties in Gombe State endorsed Inuwa Yahaya’s candidacy, pledging their support and their members allegiance towards his success in the forthcoming election.
Just like working out a mathematical solution in an examination hall, these eight candidates after a thorough introspection found in Inuwa Yahaya, a good rallying point for success at the forthcoming elections and in the interest of the greater good of Gombe State.
Eight governorship candidates rising from a meeting and reaching a consensus spoke elequently to the political stature of the Dan Majen Gombe and the massive confidence of the citizens of Gombe State have in his leadership.
Leading the group of eight at the declaration, the state chairman, Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), who is also the gubernatorial candidate of Zenith Labour Party, Muhammad Gana Aliyu, explained that the endorsement was made after a long and careful deliberation on the achievements of the present government under the leadership of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya.
“We arrived at this logical decision after carefully assessing Governor Inuwa’s general performance especially in the areas of peace, security, education, health, infrastructure and humanitarian services across the state”, Aliyu told newsmen.
By this mass endorsement, the electoral goodwill multiplier effects on Governor Yahaya’s victory at this Saturday’s election has been extended beyond the frontier of what pundits call the red line.These eight candidates with their teeming supporters have clearly taken Inuwa Yahaya across the central line of the winning circumference.Put simply,50% of voting pattern is already guaranteed for the APC.
How do I mean? If political calculations and extrapolation are put on the table,Inuwa Yahaya has already crossed the halfway point.The endorsement is a political silencer for the remaining candidates to the Gombe State Government House.
Out of 14 polical parties, 8 are added to Inuwa making 9,what consequential import is this in the unfolding equation.
Before I delve into the State’s voters dynamics, may I humbly submit that the 8 parties put together have over ‘27.8%’of registered voters in the state and when you combine that with APC’s numbers, victory is a done deal for Inuwa Yahaya, the party’s flag bearer in Saturday’s Election.
The IPAC Chairman explained that the gubernatorial candidates who unanimously endorsed the Gombe State Governor and the APC Candidate are: Muhammad Gana Aliyu of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Sulaiman Abubakar Sunusi of National Rescue Movement (NRM), Sadiq Abdulhamid of Boot Party (BP) and Adamu Muhammad of Action Peoples Party (APP).
Others are Sulaiman Jibrin of Action Democratic Party (ADP), Adamu Aliyu Ɗanmakka of African Action Congress (AAC), Kelmi Jacob Lazarus of Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Muhammad Bello Abubakar of Allied Peoples Party (APP).
The candidates called on their supporters to vote for Governor Inuwa Yahaya to enable him consolidate on his developmental drive for sustainable growth.
So what are the voting matrixes in Saturday’s Election.First thing to note is that there will be a bigger turnout.Governoship and House of Assembly elections are very local and grassroot in nature.Voters believe that their failure to vote is a major loss for them in the next four years.While they may not be too keen on who becomes President, they are certainly interested in who governs them.
I have met several people who voted for Atiku at the Presidential Election but said “Inuwa na mu ne”, meaning Inuwa is our own.
Whereas at the last election, PDP got 319,123, APC, scored 146,977 ,LP, 26,160, NNPP 10,520 votes respectively.The other 10 parties too garnered votes sparingly.
But in coming Saturday’s Election many factors that aided the three parties higher numbers are grossly sagging.
Let’s start from the NNPP. Mailantarki’s political shenanigans are already being traumatizingly discussed among his staunchest supporters. They claim he is running a one man show. He is all about himself.He neither supports the other office candidates in the last election.He promotes only himself at the detriment of other party members who are grossly aggrieved at the moment.He stands a chance of losing a chunk of his votes to the ruling APC who looks better to win and has the capacity to compensate whoever makes its victory a reality.
Two,the PDP gubernatorial candidate is said to be too high handed, lacks respect for everybody including anybody. He has caused a lot of dissatisfaction in the party. He thinks he knows it all and very abusive. A former PDP stalwart in the state said that anyone who abuses your parents in Hausa land has committed a sacrilege unwittingly.That was the first grudge most PDP members have against Dan Barde.
Moreso, Dan Barde was alleged to have ‘blackmailed’ Talba Gombe and his family into winning the PDP party ticket, which stupefied a lot of better candidates within the party leading to many exiting the party in numbers. Most of those who voted Atiku at the Presidentual Election will most unlikely queue behind him at the Gubernatorial. He was alleged to have flashed in Talba’s face some damning EFCC red cards and cowered him into submission.Hence he got the party ticket.
Now that Dankwambo has his Senatorial ticket sorted,the battlefield will shift to Abuja where his pound of flesh will be PDP house is in disarray because of Dan Barde.
The ground of victory is already quacking underneath Danbarde’s feet.He is also not very clean from financial malfeasance.
This is how someone also catalogued Dan Barde.
” A man best known for his vulgarity, insolence and intolerance of other opinions.
With Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory,it is in the best interest of the members of the Labour Party to align with the ruling APC in the state and consolidate their commercial benefits in the state that has welcome them with peace and open arms.
Already a 500 strong representation of the Igbo Community in Gombe State pledged allegiance to Governor Inuwa Yahaya when they visited the Government House last week Friday. They already closed ranks with Governor Yahaya who showered them with more appointment and a good piece of cake in the Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park at Dadinkowa.
For the Christian Community who were agrieved by the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC Presidential and Vice Presidential Elections,it is becoming obvious that neither sectional nor tribal interest wins election in Nigeria anymore.
Besides Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has reached out to them with a leaf of rapprochement urging them to put behind them whatever grievances they hold against him.
With all of the above dynamics playing out, coupled with the phenomenal performance of Governor Inuwa Yahaya in the socioeconomic advancement of Gombe State, victory is blowing sweetly down his way come Saturday 18 March 2023.
– Saliu sent this piece from Gombe
