Gombe 2011: Who succeeds Goje?

Gombe has been a hot bed for political struggles since 1999 but 2011 is promising to be even hotter in the bid to succeed Governor Danjuma Goje who is serving his second and final term in office as governor. There is no doubt that Goje has been one tough politician that has remained a thorn in the flesh of big time politicians. In 2007, when he was seeking re-election for a second term, several aspirants attempted to boot him out of power in vain.

Even a gang up by some prominent politicians like former governor Abubakar Habu Hashidu, late Dr. Suleiman Kumo, governorship candidate of Action Congress (AC), Colonel Musa Mohammed, ANPP’s governorship candidate, Alhaji Jamilu Ishia’ku Gwamna, business mogul and Chairman Hamsal Air, Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Sale, former PDP governorship aspirant, Ambassador Yerima Abdullahi and a host of others did not see the light of the day.

Now that he is approaching the tail of his tenure as governor, Governor Goje appears certainly determined to single-handedly decide his successor. But can he have it his way on the political scene, just like he had since 2003?

In the last seven and a half years, Goje has not only succeeded in silencing everyone around but ensured that he decides virtually every political direction in the state. His opponents and supporters alike came to understand that the fear of Goje was the beginning of wisdom.

On the other hand, Governor Goje has, in the last seven years, transformed the state from a ‘rural state’ to one that has all the necessary structures any state can boast off in the country. But while Goje has had it so good in his two terms, the last of which is coming to an end in less than a year, there is every reason to believe that his opponents are not done with him yet but bidding their time.

But it seems that Governor Goje himself has given them the opportunity to hit back at him through what appears to be his insistence on anointing his successor. There are dozens of aspirants wanting to succeed Goje but he is said to be bent on anointing his son in-law and that has polarized even his staunchest supporters.

It is widely believed in Gombe state that Goje wants his son in-law, Alhaji Dasuki Jalo Waziri, present chairman of Gombe Local Government and immediate past National President of the Association of Local Governments (ALGON), to succeed him against the interest of some elders and leaders of the party who prefer a “more matured” person. His seeming insistence on Dasuki has pitched him against many politicians who accuse him high handedness. They say that the LG boss is “inexperienced, and unsuitable” for the exalted position of governor.

At the moment, there are more than half a dozen PDP governorship aspirants in Gombe including the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bayero Usman Nafada, Abubakar Habu Mu’azu, former state PDP Youth Leader, the state Commissioner of Finance, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya, the Accountant General of the Federation, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Lagos-based business mogul and philanthropist, Alhaji Faruk Bamusa, former Minister of State of Power and Steel, Malam Murtala Aliyu, chairman Hamsal Air, Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Sale and Alhaji Bala Magaji, Commissioner of Higher Education.

In the opposition ANPP, its national scribe, Senator Sa’idu Umar Kumo, has since commenced campaigning. No aspirant has so far emerged from the other opposition parties.

Alhaji Dasuki Jalo Waziri:

He has been the chairman of Gombe Local Government (the state capital) for a number of years which gives him a thorough understanding of the political terrain in the state. He is a descendant of the royal family of late Wazirin Gombe, a senior kingmaker of Gombe emirate, and a senator in the first republic. Dasuki is also married to Goje’s daughter from his senior and more influential wife, Hajiya Yelwa. Hajiya Yelwa is believed to be strongly in support of the emergence of her son in-law as governor. Weaknesses:

The support he has from his in-laws appears to have made him unpopular across the state. In addition, many complain that he is arrogant. Analysts believe that Goje may be forced to drop Dasuki when it becomes obvious to him that the people will revolt against his choice. In fact the governor is said to be shopping for an alternative among the other aspirants.

Usman Bayero Nafada:

Strength:

Many analysts are of the view that if a free and fair election is conducted, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives will defeat his opponents hands down. Bayero is known to have built a solid political structure right from the time he was in the state house of assembly, and is believed to have kept it intact. He is also a fearless goal getter who inspires confidence in his supporters. It is also believed that he has the financial wherewithal to fund his governorship campaign.

Weaknesses:

Bayero may not get the support of Governor Goje because of the fear that he (Goje) may not exert any level of control over the lawmaker who is seen as an independent minded.

Abubakar Mu’azu:

Popularly called Habu Mu’azu or youths leader, the former state PDP Youth Leader is as conversant with the politics of the state as Goje himself. When the going was good between the two in the better half of Goje’s seven and a half years, Habu Mu’azu was more powerful than the state’s deputy governor. In fact he was defacto number two. Mu’azu had the ears of his boss and knew everything there was to know in the PDP machinery then. He is believed to have used his closeness to Goje to build useful connections that he can run to for some quick fix at the national level. The youths leader is also fearless and knows as much about Goje’s political ruthlessness as there is to know, perhaps more than any other politician in Gombe state

Weaknesses:

Mu’azu is being accused of heading the dreaded political thugs known as Yankalare who allegedly unleashed terror on perceived government opponents when he was close to the governor. Though he has on several occasions made efforts to exonerate himself, political pundits believe many people may not forget some experiences. Also, his commitment to President Goodluck Jonathan campaign may make or mar his chances depending on the outcome of the ongoing debate on rotation.

Malam Murtala Aliyu

Strength:

Malam, as he is fondly called by supporters, is not new in the politics of Gombe state. He is a very close associate of former military president Ibrahim Babangida. In 2003, he slugged it out with Goje at the primaries of the PDP. Though he was defeated, Malam has become a force to reckon with in Gombe politics. Perhaps what saved Goje at the time was his seeming political inexperience. But over the years since that encounter, he was able to establish himself as a politician who enjoys tremendous followership. He is known to have consolidated his political structure when he was appointed minister of state for power by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Many believe in him and his capacity to clinch the state’s number one seat in next year’s general elections.

Weaknes:

Malam’s major political undoing is the accusation that he abandoned those who supported him in 2003, leaving them to scamper for political relevance, especially after he left the federal cabinet. Many of his supporters are said to be unhappy about the disconnect that ensued between them for some time.

Faruk Bamusa

Strength:

Popularly called Mai Kasea (because he distributed many of the motorcycles to youth in the state), Bamusa has been in the race for years and has substantial followership in the state, especially among youth. He is believed to be Dasuki’s alternative to Goje when the chips are finally down.

Weakness:

He has aligned himself too much to Governor Goje, thereby annoying some of his supporters who would want him to operate independent of the influence of the governor.

Senator Sa’idu Umar Kumo:

Strength:

The National Secretary of the ANPP is one of the oldest and consistent politicians in the state who have over the years build up some followership, especially among the rural poor. He is the only politician to declare for the governorship race outside the ruling PDP and thought to be experienced and connected to the grassroots.

Weaknesses:

Most people don’t have confidence in his ambition even though he has been aspiring for governor since the country’s return to democracy in 1999. Many politicians also see him as a sell out because of his recent tenure as national secretary of the ANPP. He is hardly taken serious