Southern Gombe Indigenes Protest, Demand Guber Slot Zoned to Them

By Segun Awofadeji in Gombe

The people of Southern Gombe State have staged a peaceful protest demanding that they be allowed to produce the next governor of the state that has eluded them 22 years after the creation of the state.

Presenting the protest letter to the state Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. James Pisagih, at the Government House Thursday, the President of Gombe South Progressive Forum, Abubakar Bello Reme, said 16 years after supporting the cause of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) without producing even a minister, it is now time they produce the next governor of the state.

According to Reme, the eight years enjoyed by the central zone and the almost 12 years of the northern zone respectively piloting the affairs of the state is enough to allow someone from the south 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 Peoples 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, Abubakar Musa Bappa, Alhaji Alhassan Muhammad Fawu and General Sylvester Audu (rtd), Dankwambo should find one of them worthy to succeed him.

They tasked Dankwambo to fulfill his promise of influencing a power shift to the south saying: “We believe that with a clear sense of honesty, you will indeed fulfill your promise in influencing the opportunity of Gombe South to assume the governorship of the state in 2019 insha 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.

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