How Gombe spent 11 days without emir

He was also the chairman of the state Council of Emirs and Chiefs. The late Abubakar served in various civil service capacities before being appointed emir in January 1984, to succeed his late father Alhaji Abubakar Umar.After the stay, the son of the deceased was appointed as a new emir Abubakar Shehu Abubakar, emerged on […]

He was also the chairman of the state Council of Emirs and Chiefs. The late Abubakar served in various civil service capacities before being appointed emir in January 1984, to succeed his late father Alhaji Abubakar Umar.
After the stay, the son of the deceased was appointed as a new emir Abubakar Shehu Abubakar, emerged on June 6. Some people attributed the seeming delay in the appointment of another emir to fierce struggle, misunderstanding and competition for the throne between the eldest son of the late emir, Alhaji Mohammed Shehu Abubakar (Tafidan Gombe), and his younger brother, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar (Santurakin Gombe).
Palace sources said in a normal situation, the younger brother, who is from the same mother as his elder brother, was not supposed to have eyed the throne or even competed with his elder brother.
Others said even the kingmakers preferred the younger brother to the eldest son. According to this school of thought, the kingmakers were keen at selecting the present emir because of his connections and disposition.
But those who preferred the eldest son told our correspondent that he was more exposed, experienced and connected, attributes they said that could be used for the development of the emirate and the state at large.
They argued that it was similar qualities possessed by the former emir that helped bring many achievements for the state, including its creation in the first place.
The chairman of the reconstituted kingmakers’ council, Magaji Mu’azu, Uban Doman Gombe, has refuted such claims when he spoke to journalists shortly after the inauguration of the new council.
Mu’azu attributed the development to delays in conveying the remains of the late emir from London hospital back to Nigeria.
Mu’azu said there was no any law providing for the appointment of a new emir within a given period after the death of an emir. “There is no fixed date for the selection of a new emir after the death of the former in the whole of the northern Nigeria,” he said.
“I could remember when we were growing up as kids after the death of the former Emir of Kano Bayero, before the burial of his remains, the then Premier of the Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello Sardauna, appointed new Emir Sanusi,” he added.
Three days after the burial of the late emir on Friday, 30th May in Gombe, Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, reconstituted the Gombe Emirate Kingmakers Council, which was expected to make recommendations for the appointment of a new emir of Gombe.
The changes in the council was said to be effected for the body to conform to prevailing situation in the state. The new council comprised of new and old kingmakers and was saddled with the responsibility of recommending three names to the government for approval and subsequent appointment of one as the new emir of Gombe.
A statement by Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Sule Bage, listed the newly reconstituted kingmakers as Wazirin Gombe, Ubandoman Gombe, Dan Lawan Gombe, Sarkin Malaman Gombe, Sarkin Ban Gombe, Chief Imam of Gombe, Ajiyan Gombe and Durbin Gombe.
With the reconstitution of the council the kingmakers are expected to decide and recommend to the state government on who would be crowned as the new emir.
Contenders for the stool had submitted their applications to the council which was said to have received no less than 10 applications for the post, among them the present emir Abubakar Shehu Abubakar.
After four days of hectic selection process, the council submitted three names to the governor for his approval.
On Friday, June 6 the present Emir Shehu, 38, emerged as the 11th emir of Gombe.
Shehu is still single. He was a supervisory council representing of Ajiya ward of Gombe Local Government council from 2006 to 2007. He holds a degree in Political Science from University of Maiduguri.
Until his elevation to the throne of the Emir of Gombe, Shehu had held the traditional title of Santurakin Gombe.
Presenting the letter of appointment to the new emir on behalf of Governor Dankwambo, the Secretary to the State Government Alhaji Bage, said he was at the palace of the Emir of Gombe on the instruction of the governor to present the letter of appointment to the new emir of Gombe.
“Based on the three names submitted to the governor for his approval and after wide consultations, the governor finally approved the first name on the list and he is Abubakar Shehu Abubakar,” he said.
The acting chairman of the newly reconstituted Gombe kingmakers’ council, Mu’azu, said the council had received 10 applications from eligible candidates for the post and it deliberated and pruned the number to three, which was subsequently transmitted to the state government.
Challenges before the new emir, observers pointed out would be for him to see to the development, unity of the emirate and the state at large, which his late father had lived and die for.
The late emir’s friends and associates described him as somebody who led people in his domain to development and prosperity, being one individual who had not amassed wealth or property for himself.
They said he succeeded with the combined efforts of others in ensuring the creation of Gombe State in 1996, nearly two decades since the agitation began.
He tried to help his people with all that he had. Ubandoma said the late emir never had a house of his own, even though he was on the throne for three decades.
“He spent all he had on the palace but did not build a house for himself. Before his death he hadn’t even one acre of land, even the two houses he had before he became the emir he sold them to solve his personal problems,” he said.
The new emir may face difficulty stepping into his late father’s shoes.