An open letter to Tinubu regarding on Gwamna’s governorship ambition, by Muhammad Sani Jekadafari

by · The Eagle Online

I write with profound dismay upon learning that Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna has joined the gubernatorial race in Gombe State. I initially dismissed this as mere political speculation, assuming he was only lobbying for an appointment. 

I respectfully caution President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya that supporting this candidature would constitute a grave political miscalculation. No discerning stakeholder within the polity can align with such a choice, for reasons that are legion.

Firstly, Jamilu is a consummate political turncoat. He was appointed by the late Governor Abubakar Habu Hashidu and served in his administration from 1999 to 2003. Yet by 2007, he betrayed his benefactor by orchestrating Hashidu’s ouster from the now-defunct ANPP.

Secondly, there are credible and persistent allegations that Jamilu Gwamna unlawfully appropriated the late Governor Hashidu’s assets in London and elsewhere, converting them to his personal estate.

Thirdly, Jamilu exhibits chronic political opportunism, defecting between parties after each electoral cycle. He only decamped to the APC in 2022 after losing the PDP gubernatorial primaries to Alhaji Muhammad Jibrin Dan Barde.

Fourthly, his stewardship of public and corporate institutions has been ruinous. Under his leadership, the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) deteriorated significantly. Consequently, he is facing multiple petitions before the EFCC and other anti-graft agencies. His highest experience in government is the General Manager of Water Board in Gombe.

Fifthly, during the 2022 PDP presidential primaries, Jamilu Gwamna made disparaging and unprintable remarks against Your Excellency. His vitriol exceeded even that of Daniel Bwala and Reno Omokri in its potential to damage your political capital.

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Sixthly, given the APC’s current perception crisis in Northern Nigeria, foisting Jamilu Gwamna on Gombe would be a strategic blunder that further alienates the electorate across the region. Jamilu is not among the top 5 APC Aspirants in Gombe in terms of popularity and acceptability. Several polls and mock elections vindicated this. 

Lastly, the principles of equity, zoning, and political inclusion demand scrutiny. Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, who hails from Jekadafari Ward, is concluding his eight-year tenure. It would be antithetical to justice and detrimental to intra-party cohesion to cede the governorship to another candidate from the same ward. What becomes of other wards, local government areas, and senatorial zones in Gombe? I raise this from a position of equity, as I too am from Jekadafari Ward. Both Jamilu and Governor Inuwa are aware of my unwavering loyalty to the APC, having never cross-carpeted once.

It is therefore a political imperative for President Tinubu to intervene and safeguard the party’s fortunes by insisting on transparent direct primaries or a genuinely inclusive consensus process. 

Let me state unequivocally that I bear Jamilu no personal animus. However, my allegiance to Gombe State and to Nigeria supersedes loyalty to any individual.

Yours in the national interest,  

*Dr. Muhammad Sani Abubakar Jekadafari*  

Gombe

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