INTERVIEW: APC, Gov. Yahaya Failed Gombe State Woefully – NNPP Guber Candidate
…Says, PDP candidate can’t do better
The Governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), in Gombe State for the 2023 General Elections, Khamisu Mailantarki has derided Governor Inuwa Yahaya for failing the people of Gombe State that entrusted him their mandate with the hope for a better future. In this interview with ADEYEMI AKANJI, Mailantarki vows to wrestle power from Governor Yahaya, who he said lacks focus in order to restore the State to the path of development. Excerpts:
How prepared are you to contest against an incumbent governor in Gombe State?
The NNPP like any other political party in Gombe State is very strong and we have our solid structures on the ground and we have people of very respectful status in our fold. We have good and strong structures capable of winning elections any time. We are very ready to reclaim Gombe State from the people who do not have vision for the development of the state, no mission and they have failed students, businesses men and women, civil servants, farmers, in fact every individual in Gombe State.
Before now, it is supposed to be very difficult to face and approach an incumbent Governor during election but, in the case of Gombe State, it is very simple because the people of the state are tired of this kind of administration and rule. No one is happy, the farmer is crying, students are crying, business men and women are crying.
If you can think of it, in every sector of the state, people are crying. This is the first time that the state fell into the hands of leaders that their focus is not the common man but, what they want to get. It is just like a business, a very unusual development.
The people of Gombe State are tired. I had an opportunity to represent the people in the past as a member of the House of Representatives. At least, the people believed in what I did. I had just a little opportunity and with the little we were able to do then, the people were able to be convinced and later pressurized us to come and contest. That is why we are contesting and today I have the ticket as the Governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
I believe that looking at my past, it is not going to be a difficult thing running the affairs of the state especially now that the incumbent Governor has proven beyond reasonable doubt that he doesn’t have the capacity to take the state to the next level.
You won election and represented the people of Gombe/Kwami /Funakaye Federal Constituency in the 7th Assembly, what are the new strategies you are adopting?
Well, this is a very good reminder for even the people of Gombe, in 2011 when I contested, that was the beginning of my political career, I looked at the state, I looked at what was happening then and I saw a window that the people of Gombe are well educated in terms of elections and what have you. So, the issue of incumbency, god fatherism does not work in Gombe. It is a mere imagination. I proved that in 2011, when we see the window, when we believe that we can do better than what was on the ground then. I ran for the seat of the House of Representatives under the platform of the then CPC which was very unpopular then but when we got into the party, we were able to restructure it, got the right people and then we ran and today the story is there to tell and the people of Gombe believe in our course, determination and they elected me to represent Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency with the highest votes among all of the 360 members of the House of Representatives in Nigeria.
That shows the kind of understanding, the kind of commitment and believe that the people of Gombe State have in me. And that the little chance we have to be on the seat, I was the only voice of opposition coming from the opposition party but the little that was coming to me, I was able to put in things for the constituents, the good people of Gombe and in the long run as at today, more than 10 years later, if you go to every ward of the state, you will see what legacy we left behind that we are very proud of.
We did a lot of water projects, provided a lot of boreholes, motorized boreholes in every of the 31 wards of the state that I represented. We also engaged in a lot of educational support in terms of classes, in terms of other educational materials. We also supported a lot of youths and women who are today self-reliant and even helping others. We were able to help a lot of youths equally to start small-scale businesses in order not to rely on government for anything and a lot of them have succeeded and we encouraged a lot of them by giving them a lot of scholarships and today, a lot of them have graduated through the scholarship. That is why the people of my constituency stood firm and sound for my contest.
In the beginning I was jittery, contemplating whether I should contest or not but, the pressure was so much that I can’t say no because of the love of the people of my state and the love they showed me when they elected me as a member of the House of Representatives. So, I have to listen to them and take it. That is why I am contesting and the circumstances in 2011 when we were in opposition and were able to win the hearts of the people, to believe in us and elected us when it was not even this bad and you look at the situation now that the APC has failed the people of the state and the PDP too had an opportunity even though they did well far, far better than what is happening now.
I am one of founding fathers of APC in Gombe State but I am telling you this that the APC has totally failed, PDP was even better even though the very unfortunate part is that the candidate of the PDP, I don’t think that is the right person. That party has done well but the person who is running the ticket as of today cannot do any better than the APC. That is why our alternative is the best, we have people of very competent political prowess and backgrounds. I believe that in 2023 we will take over the state.
How soon are you starting your campaigns to mobilize the voters?
Very soon, just a matter of time. We are not rushing. It is not a matter of rushing for the campaign to start and later stop. We don’t want to make mistakes. That is the situation. We want to do the right thing, put the house in order, put the right people in places that are capable and know the state very well. So, in a matter of weeks, we will Kick start the campaigns and as soon as we flag off the campaign, there would be no stopping us because the structure is firm. We have a lot of structures not just one structure, we have a lot of things we are working on, apart from the party structure, the campaign structure, the Coordinators, we have so many layers of the campaign.
In fact we have not officially started the campaign but, a lot of us have been consulting, we are doing a lot because it is not only in the public but you have to talk to the right people so that you don’t start without consulting with the people which is the most important thing to do. So, we are doing that and I am sure that by the time we start, you will be able to see a lot of positive changes
There is an allegation that you did not go for the mandatory one year NYSC. What is your explanation to the allegation?
Well, just as you have rightly said, the case is before a court of competent jurisdiction. So, I may not want to preempt what the court will rule on the matter. But, what is happening is just one of the things that shows clearly that the PDP are afraid, they are weaken and they are seeing a big problem. But for me, that is not the issue. Let us discuss issues not problems. You are trying shy away from the reality by accusing this and that. If you could remember, I am not the only person that the PDP candidate has taken to court, even the APC Governorship candidate was taken to court because he (the PDP candidate) is a very funny man. He wants to win the election not through the ballot but outside the box. He wants to win in the court and that is why he is running up and down.
I ran for the House of Representatives and won to represent the people of my Federal Constituency at the 7th and 8th Assembly, I have my credentials, everything is intact. In fact if not because he is in a hurry, we attended the same University with him. How can you then go to the court and tell the court that I did not do my NYSC and did not have the NYSC certificate. That is funny. If that is that is the kind of Governor he wants to be, that is not the kind of person Gombe need. We need people who can discuss issues and not distract the process, misguide the voters with flimsy accusations, excuses because you are so desperate and you want to take power by all means and you are scared of even going to the polls. You want to win elections in the court with some lousy and frivolous claims and speculations or lies that the candidate does not have this or that.
To me, it is just a distraction, it is lazy people who have time to discuss people. They don’t have the competence to contend with others.
The PDP candidate is not strong, he is not popular, he is just a paper weight politically. So, that is not the kind of person we need in Gombe State. Let us discuss issues, let us discuss how we are going to provide water for the people who are common men in Gombe State, let us discuss how we can provide quality healthcare service delivery to the people, let us discuss how we are going to support our teeming youths to be proactive and productive in the society instead of them running around the streets as political thugs, Yan-Kalare and other urchins.
We should not be heating up the polity by talking about ourselves, claiming you didn’t have this or that, so they should leave it for me, no, that is not politics. Although, I don’t blame him because he has never won any elections even in the classroom, he has never won, he has never ever been a class monitor. So, he doesn’t understand, he thinks that he is going to get it in court. No, that is not the case. So, as far as I am concerned, it is just a distraction, there is nothing like that. It is a sign that he is afraid to go to the polls and thinks that there is a shortcut to power. There is no shortcut to power.
What is your last words to Gombe State electorate?
My last words is to call the attention of our teeming youths, this time around, we have to practice politics without bitterness, we have to practice politics without thuggery, we have to practice politics without hurting anyone, we have to be very clear and specific on our candidates, we should not vote for people who are asking us to go to the streets and kill ourselves, we should and must understand that there is life after the elections.
The entire people of Gombe is just like one family. If in the process of elections you hurt someone, you kill someone, the elections will go and we will be together again. Let us practice politics like playing football match, we just go into the pitch and after the match, we shake each other, dine and wine together, there is no permanent enemy in politics. This is my preaching and the message I want to extend to the youths in particular. Let us come together and select leaders that have the capabilities, let us not be instigated into killing ourselves because of politics. We have to practice politics like a game, play together, wine together, eat together and be happy together. It does not worth the trouble to intimidate or to kill anyone because of politics. Let us practice politics of peace, politics without bitterness.
