NEWS DIGEST – Political analysts have attributed the defeat of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State at various levels of governance in all the senatorial districts of the state to the abysmally poor performance of the party, neglect of the calls by political stakeholders and the injustice meted to the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Dr Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna, during the PDP primaries.
They made this submission to newsmen in separate interviews on Monday following the sweep-mode victories of the APC in all zones of the state including the hitherto PDP zone; Gombe South.
According to them, injustice has a way of paying back itself when it is done without caring about the consequences especially in politics.
Dr Abdullahi Usman, an Abuja-based political strategist, who observed the elections in Gombe, said he had in October 2018, cautioned the PDP against the negative impact of allowing injustice to play out in their primaries but the party never heeded to that advice, but he added that the price is now too heavily paid in full.
“When I spoke in October last year, on the danger of allowing injustice during the primaries that saw Dr Jamilu Gwamna denied of his political right. I warned the party but it fell on deaf ears. Today the debt of injustice is fully paid on the PDP.
“Many good citizens of Gombe also wrote about the debt driven style of leadership by Gov. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo but they never addressed those issues and by that singular act, offended the enlightened electorates of Gombe State.
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“In one of my warnings, I quoted Dr Jamilu Gwamna who boosted that he would do everything in his powers to deliver the APC victory in all levels. They ignored it as an empty threat but today the results have proven that a man with supporters should not be pushed aside like the PDP did to Gwamna. It is painful for the PDP but they deserved what they got,’’ he said.
Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim, a grassroots political mobiliser said, he saw the defeat of PDP long before now.
Ibrahim said: “We saw it, spoke about it but they neglected us. Bad governance and neglect of the priorities of the people cost PDP their defeat which has become the sweet taste of victory for the APC.
He stressed that the victory of the APC is one that had come to stay, adding that the PDP was going to lose the governorship and other grassroots political positions.
A chieftain of the PDP who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the PDP had become history in Gombe State, adding that they were many chieftains who never followed Gwamna but worked for him within the PDP to secure the defeat of the party.
He added that: “We asked Gov. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo to give us a free, fair and conduct primaries but he didn’t listen. Today his decision to deny the wish of the party’s loyalists at the grassroots and the most popular aspirant Dr Gwamna the right to fly the party governorship ticket has not only cost the PDP defeat but has equally cost the governor his senatorial ambition. The governor must enjoy the regrets while he would be in political exile.
Reacting to the issue, Dr Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna said: “ I said it that we will deliver with the supports of everyone in the APC, victory for APC in Gombe at all levels and the signs are here.
“ Everyone has spoken for President Muhammadu Buhari and the victory for the president shows that all APC chieftains are no betrayals to what they promised the president and Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya.
“ The totality of the supports from our party leader, Alhaji Danjuma Goje and other bigwigs of the party, shows that we love the president without bias,’’ the APC chieftain said.
Gwamna emphasized that the fight was not over, adding that the sweetest part would be the defeat of PDP at the governorship level and below, noting that “that would be the icing on the cake of PDP’s defeat.’’
