Gombe 2019: Southern Gombe protest marginalisation

22 years after the creation of the State, people of Southern Gombe state under the aegis of ‘Indigenous People of Southern Gombe’ are demanding for political power shift to the area calling on the State Governor, Ibrahim Hassan DanKwambo to influence the power shift in the 2019 political arrangements.

The indigenous people of Southern Gombe presented their demand during a peaceful protest staged to press home the demand which is that they be allowed to produce the next Governor of the State that has eluded them since the creation of the state in 1996.

While presenting the protest letter to the State Governor, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo through the SSG, Mr. James Pisagih at the Government House, the President of Gombe South Progressive Forum, Abubakar Bello Reme, lamented that 16 years after supporting the cause of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) without producing even a Minister, it is now time for them to be allowed to produce the next Governor of the State in fairness, justice and equity.

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According to him, the 8 years enjoyed by the Central zone and the almost 12 years of the Northern zone respectively piloting the affairs of the State was enough for them to allow someone from the Southern zone to occupy the coveted seat for inclusiveness, harmony and peaceful coexistence.

He said, “after all, power shift/rotation is enshrined in the constitution of the People Democratic Party, the ruling party in the State, and therefore it should be respected at all levels”.

The protesters told the Governor that among the three aspirants from Gombe South, Engineer Abubakar Musa Bappa, Alhaji Alhassan Muhammad Fawu and General Sylvester Audu (rtd), Dankwambo should find one of them worthy to succeed him.

They tasked Hassan Dankwambo to fulfil his promise of influencing a power shift to the South saying, “we believe that with clear sense of honesty, you will indeed fulfil your promise in influencing the opportunity of Gombe South to assume the Governorship of the seat in 2019 in sha Allah”.

They also reminded him that he had severally reiterated his commitment to and concern in ensuring that the Gombe State Governorship election, as a means of balancing the scale of representation of a more higher position like the coveted seat of Executive Governor, which should be concurred, is not the exclusive reserve of only some zones.

The Forum stressed that “We in Southern Gombe collectively believe that it should be our turn now, simply for political pragmatism, good understanding, unity and peace”.