#NigeriaDecides2019 | Goje wins Gombe Central, Dankwambo loses Senatorial bid

Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against all odds has won his seat to continue to represent Gombe Central Senatorial District for the third consecutive term after polling a total of 110,116 votes in the last Saturday presidential and National Assembly elections.

The Returning Officer for the senatorial election, Dr Musa Dahiru who announced the result in Kumo headquarters of Akko Local Government Area of Gombe on Monday declared that Danjuma Goje’s closest rival, Abubakar Nono of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who is the incumbent Speaker of the Gombe StatevHouse of Assembly polled a total of 39,760 votes.

The Returning Officer also said that other candidates including, Alhaji Umaru Lamido of PRP scored 8,397, Aliyu Adamu of ASD got 155 votes and Salisu Ahmed of CAP polled 71 votes.

Others according to him were Ibrahim Adamu of DA who polled a total of 79 votes, Adamu Baka of DPP who polled a total of 224 votes and Haruna Musa of HDP who polled a total of 51 votes, Abubakar Goni SDP 349, and Adiya Baka UPN 27 votes.

Musa Dahiru disclosed that the total number of votes cast during the election was 165,741, total valid votes 160,131 while total rejected votes were 5,610.

Meanwhile, Gombe State Governor who was a former PDP presidential aspirant, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo suffered a great political blow as a one-time Senator has beaten him to clinch the Gombe North Senatorial seat.

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The ambition of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo to go to the National Assembly as a Senator of the Federal Republic was thwarted as he was defeated by a former Senator from the state, Saidu Ahmed Alkali of the ruling APC who polled a total of 152,551 votes against Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo who contested under the platform of the PDP with a total of 88,016 votes after Saturday’s rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections.

The result was announced early morning of Monday in Malam Sidi, Kwami Local Government Area around 2:35 am on Monday by the Returning Officer, Professor Umar Gurama of the Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State.

Even though Governor Dankwambo won his Hassan Manzo polling unit with 325 votes as against Alkali’s 212 votes, it was however not enough to secure the two-term Governor a Senatorial seat.

Governor Dankwambo started smelling his defeat Saturday evening when he could not deliver his party’s (PDP) Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar in his Hassan Manzo ward. Atiku polled 80 votes against Buhari’s 457 votes.

With this defeat, it is becoming doubtful if Governor Dankwambo, who is also Atiku Abubakar’s campaign Coordinator for the North-East could spearhead his party, the PDP, into victory in the Governorship election expected in two weeks time.

The APC members on the other, hand are celebrating the defeat of Ibrahim Dankwambo which it said is a clear indication that the PDP is now dead and buried in Gombe State according to its State Publicity Secretary, Naomi Joel Awak.