Dankwambo Battles Alkali

Ahead of the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria, there are bits and pieces of scuffles here and there that are gradually dominating social space. And even though these other political scuffles do not appear to hold much weight in light of who will be Nigeria’s president for the next four or eight years, they are very important to the people involved. And so it is that the people of Gombe State, especially Gombe North Senatorial District, are having the time of their lives watching former Governor Ibrahim  Dankwambo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) contest against Senator Sa’idu Alkali of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The duo appears to be evenly matched in terms of influence. Dankwambo is a former governor of the state, so he is expected to know the nooks and crannies of governance in Gombe. However, Alkali belongs to the APC and the state is currently under the administration of an APC member. Therefore, political parties may need to take a second seat and let the personalities themselves fight it out. And that does seem to be what is happening.

This is not the first time that Dankwambo and Alkali are having it out. In 2019, Dankwambo lost to Alkali. That was not too surprising considering that Alkali had been running in senatorial circles long before Dankwambo thought to do so. Even now, he has a strong advantage over Dankwambo. Nevertheless, supporters of Dankwambo are certain that Alkali will lose the senatorial elections because he is reportedly nonchalant and does not particularly care for the plight of the people.

Of course, whoever wins the senatorial election wins and whoever loses has lost. But for Dankwambo and Alkali, this may be the best time to position themselves ahead of the presidential election. If whoever ends up being president is from their side, what could be better? Therefore, for both of them, winning is a must.