Crisis Rocks Gombe APC: Jamilu Gwamna’s Supporters Burn Brooms

• Demands he dumps the ruling party

BY WILLIAM ATTAH, GOMBE – The rumblings within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State seem to be hydra-headed as supporters of a party chieftain and Sardaunan Gombe, Dr Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna are angry over what they described as the shabby treatment of their principal by the party hierarchy.

In their rage, the supporters are now urging the ‘proficient corporate magnate’ and philanthropist to quit the ruling party and contest the State governorship seat under the umbrella of any other party.

Setting the state agog with chants of their unwavering loyalty to the Sardaunan Gombe, the group took to the streets of Kaltungo town last weekend burning brooms, the APC symbol.

In expressing solidarity with the man, touted as one of the political heavyweights in Gombe state, the supporters alleged that there are sinister plots by the Gombe APC leadership to surreptitiously endorse the incumbent Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya for the second term.

Confirming their fears, one of the supporters, who gave his name as Isah Kaltungo, said in many of the Local Governments, including Kaltungo that the Governor visited, the party executives openly declared support for him as their candidate come 2023.

“The party stakeholders have endorsed Governor Inuwa Yahaya at gatherings in the Local Governments of Kaltungo, Yamaltu-Deba, and Gombe”, he alleged, noting that the development means they are not willing to conduct an open primary election in the party.

Speaking with journalists on the issue, Isah, who laid claims to having influenced over 200 APC supporters in Kaltungo local government to dump APC and burn their brooms, alleged that; “They will not provide a fair playing grounds for other aspirants but will only adopt the Governor as their candidate”.

According to him; “We are therefore urging Jamilu to leave the ruling party and join any other party. We are ready to follow him even to APGA. I believe that Jamilu is popular among the electorate and can win if a free and fair election holds because of his humanitarian services.

“As Managing Director of a Power Distribution Company (KEDCO), Gwamna secured a lot of jobs for Gombe state citizens”, Kaltungo said even as he berated the APC leadership in the state over the alleged maltreatment of Gwamna and humiliation of Senator Danjuma Goje who allegedly led Yahaya to victory in 2019.

But in his reaction, the APC chairman in Kaltungo Local Government, Comrade Ayuba Hassan, laughed off the threat, saying that some boys, numbering no more than ten (10), had approached the party to express their dissatisfaction with happening in the ruling APC Government.

He told Forefront in a telephone interview that they agreed to meet on January 1, 2022, but that their demands were not something that the party can handle, adding; “Our responsibility is not to them alone, these are boys that don’t have political value.

“As far as we are concerned, this Jamilu that they are talking about is an APC member. He has not in any way indicated any intention of switching over to PDP. So, they are contradicting themselves by burning brooms while their principal is still firmly settled in APC”.