Dankwambo Loses Senatorial Election

By Segun Awofadeji in Gombe

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

Governor Dankwambo was beaten by a lowly rated former Senator, Saidu Ahmed Alkali who polled 152,551 votes against Governor Dankwambo’s 88,016 votes after Saturday’s rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly election.

The result was announced in Malam Sidi, Kwami Local Government Area around 2:35 a.m on Monday (today) 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 couldn’t deliver PDP’s 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 Northeast could spearhead his Party, the PDP, into victory in the governorship election expected in two weeks time.

The APC on the other, hand are celebrating the defeat, 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.