Dankwambo, APC and what really happened at Kashere

The attack on Governor Dankwambo’s office and personality is the hallmark of a politician’s desperation for power and an unwillingness to follow due process {the universal adult suffrage which should not be allowed to bring Gombe to ground zero. It is the climax of an ongoing struggle for the political soul of Gombe by political […]

The attack on Governor Dankwambo’s office and personality is the hallmark of a politician’s desperation for power and an unwillingness to follow due process {the universal adult suffrage which should not be allowed to bring Gombe to ground zero. It is the climax of an ongoing struggle for the political soul of Gombe by political extremists to reclaim power against the will of the majority of Gombe citizens who now know who their true leader is.
In his bid for re-election, Governor Dankwambo has continued to wax stronger, powered by a peerless pedigree of outstanding antecedents and impeccable credentials of performance not only as a politician but a performer of high repute which he had earlier displayed as the Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, required for the accelerated progress and development of the state.
For sake of argument, the potency and effect of Dankwambo’s performance has put the APC opposition in the state on the defensive in the contest for leadership capacity to win over the hearts and minds of the electorate who have another opportunity to open a new chapter of progressive change and re-focused development.
Bereft of a genuine political constituency after his unholy marriage with opposition APC and his frustration at the unassailable achievements of the Dankwambo-led administration, Lai Mohammed, the spokesman of the APC opposition’s striking failure to appreciate the  brutal attack on Governor Dankwambo for what it is rather than engage in empty verbiage; a coordinated attack to eliminate the amiable governor to pave way for their political protégé at the 2015 polls only smacks of of the poor coordination that have undermined the structure the APC ostensibly seek to empower n the state; they deserve sympathy for their hollow thinking and retrogressive approach to political manoeuvring.
For the records, Governor Dankwambo was in Kashere on the invitation of the vice chancellor to visit the university, not relocation of the university, after which he was invited to commission some projects in the area; marking the point at which the governor’s entourage was attacked by some hoodlums which represented the reincarnation of the banned Kalare activities in the area. As a tradition, the governor decided to pay homage to the district head. As a result some people blocked the road to the emir’s palace and started firing and throwing stones directly at the governor’s car.
A political contest in Gombe between Governor Dankwambo and the cronies of his predecessor is like a battle between darkness and light; between peace and war; between serenity and confusion; between development and underdevelopment; progress and backwardness; education and illiteracy.
A journey into Danjuma Goje’s political past in Gombe may suffice to reawaken Lai Mohammed’s subconscious mind that Governor Dankwambo’s tenure in Government House, Gombe is about all that is best in governance; it is about humanity, protecting people, providing economic opportunities, education and healthcare to its citizens and would not be deterred by any abstract thinking.
With the advent of the Dankwambo-led administration in Gombe state, the perception of social thought has shifted and hopes will be acceptable to all along with the privileges it maintains. It is a new social order struggling grimly to be born and calls for cooperation by all progressive citizens, devoid of the myopic self aggrandisement and primordial interest.
Was it not Danjuma Goje who, during his reign as governor of the state, ordered a blockade of the campaign train of General Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to Gombe State at the peak of the 2011 election for fear of insecurity by these political leaders?
It is also of note to state that the Kalare activities in Gombe started during Goje’s era.
The assassination attempt on Governor Dankwambo represented an affront on the peace-loving citizens of Gombe by reactionary elements to change the state’s political equilibrium which should be condemned for its short-sightedness. Dankwambo deserves commendation and not condemnation to ensure continuity in best democratic practise and public service delivery.

Abubakar is a special assistant to Gombe State governor