Debunking the Twelve Major Lies about the Billiri-Mai Tangle Stool Succession Crisis Created by the Gombe State Governor, Alh. Moh’d Inuwa Yahaya.
“Democracy Dies in Darkness” (the Washington Post
Preamble: A few weeks ago I mentioned that I would be doing a series on the above topic. I was truly inspired and encouraged by how lots of people reacted to that announcement, especially the messages I got via messenger from our Hausa/Fulani friends in Gombe and Kumo, the Terawas, and the many tribes in Gombe South. The encouragement for me came from the fact that both Muslims and Christians, Tangale and non-Tangale people expressed the fact that we need to give our people, the rest of the world, and posterity, the true picture of what really happened in Billiri. People from both religions gave important and relevant information for this series. We were able to get some confidential information and documents as well as media reports which were all used in writing this article. Many of the people interviewed were either directly involved in the Billiri saga or people close to the governor and his aides. Thank you all for your love for truth, justice, freedom, and peace. Despite ethno-religious differences among us, these eternal principles keep us together. We the Tangale people will never forget your support for us in these turbulent times. The famous leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jnr. wrote:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Here is an exposé of the first lie as we call for justice, truth, and accountability.
Lie #1. That Gov. Inuwa Yahaya did not have a candidate.
A few days before the Mai Tangle election which took place on February 15th, I published an article on my Facebook page titled “An Open Letter to the Tangale People.” In it I urged the people to maintain their peace, love, and unity. I also stated that it was acceptable for each of us (the Tangale people) to have a preferred candidate and to pray for and promote that candidate. This I posted on 25/01/21. Check it out. While I was talking to my Tangale people in that post, I had no idea that the Gombe state Governor, Moh’d Inuwa Yahaya, a non-Tangale, had his own preferred candidate. The Nigerian constitution requires the governor, by virtue of his position, to be neutral, that is, to NOT promote a particular candidate for selfish or any other reasons.
Many of us were relieved to hear that the Governor had stated that he would not interfere with the Tangale people’s election of their next Mai. The Governor made several public statements about this, including when he paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Mai Tangle (Dr. Abdu Buba Maisheru II) in Billiri. There he assured us that whoever the Tangale people choose will become the next Mai Tangle. Again, some of the Tangale people who are close to him asked him in private meetings whether he had a preferred candidate and he repeatedly said NO. So, we joyfully believed him.
We were, unfortunately, wrong! We had been duped! Inuwa’s words were not accompanied by action. Gov. Inuwa did, in fact, have a preferred candidate, in violation of his oath of office. The key question is, how do we know he had one? There are four key determinants (proofs) that Gov. Inuwa had a preferred candidate.
First, in the weeks leading up to the Mai Tangle election, we began to hear about one Gombe State commissioner, Alhaji Bappah Abubakar, secretly trying to bribe our kingmakers in favour of one “Malam Danladi,” which was a very strange name to us (most Tangale people had no idea one “Malam Danladi” existed until Gov. Inuwa started campaigning for him). I will go into detail about the Gombe State Government’s (GSG) attempted bribery, but first let me give you a reminder. In a Facebook interview with Seth Kajang on February 19. The Tangale Community Overseas (TCO) raised the alarm about Gov. Inuwa’s attempt to undermine the election process by using financial inducement. This interview has been viewed by nearly 9,000 people and shared hundreds of times. Also, in a well-articulated post, a member of the Gombe State House of Assembly, Hon. Rambi Y. Ayala (Gamzakin Tangale), courageously stated on his Facebook page that the Tangale kingmakers had made distress calls on them (Tangale politicians) to report that some GSG representatives were attempting to induce them financially. This claim has yet to be refuted by the GSG. Why? Because it actually occurred. We have records/evidences of what transferred. At the appropriate time we shall make those public. For now, let me tell you the specifics of what happened.
Initially, Alhaji Abubakar Bappah, the GSG commissioner for works, sent his brother, the current Hakimin of Tudu Kwaya, to negotiate with the kingmakers with 3 million naira each if they are willing to accept in exchange for voting for the Governor’s preferred candidate (Malam Danladi). The kingmakers were stunned and at first rejected the proposal, as well as reminding their colleague (Hakimin Tudu Kwaya) of the governor’s comment about zero interference in elections. Hakimin Tudu Kwaya returned to them a few days later with an improved offer of 5 million naira each to the kingmakers. They all rejected it and raised a point of order, telling their colleague to respect himself and end the negotiation. At that point, the kingmakers began to raise concerns about a possible attempt by the state government to interfere with the election process.
Furthermore, the kingmakers instructed the negotiator to return to the state government and inform them that they are employees of the Billiri local government. As such, any future discussions should involve the chairperson and the two commissioners from the Billiri local government as representatives of the state government, rather than him as their colleague. None of these propositions were followed by the GSG.
So, our heroes once again said no to money and yes to the land and people they represent. When the GSG saw that our kingmakers were proving difficult, it abruptly postponed the election. This is the primary reason why the election was postponed until February 15, 2021. The GSG was attempting to buy time in order to recalculate and relaunch its heinous and monstrous plan against the people of Tangale. Then, a day before the new election date, these kingmakers were summoned to Gombe, where Alhaji Abubakar Bappah and other top GSG officials attempted to intimidate and influence them. They offered our kingmakers ten million Naira each this time. This is where many of us could have made a mistake. Please be aware that each of these kingmakers receives a monthly salary of approximately 25,000 Naira (approximately $50).
At this point tensions were extremely high. The government was desperate. The stakes were extremely high. So, in the Tangale spirit of integrity and wisdom, our kingmakers informed the government flunkies that they had accepted the offer and were grateful to the GSG for the funds, but that the government representatives should keep the funds with them until after the election. As a result, they gave the impression that they would follow the GSG’s wishes and vote for the Governor’s candidate the following morning. Someone close to the Governor told us that Gov. Inuwa was overjoyed when he learned that his plan was finally working. Then came election day. Dr. Musa I. Maiyamba then received 5 votes, Ahmadu 2 votes, and Danladi also 2 votes. Then we waited for the clear winner to be announced. Then there was a period of silence for several days. Then our mothers and sisters began to protest. Then Inuwa reached out to his mentor, Kaduna state Governor El-Rufai. They then devised a plan B. Tangale land was then thrown into disarray. This is why we’re here today: Governor Inuwa had a preferred candidate!
In any civilized society, Gov. Inuwa and Bappah would have resigned by now. Or, the governor would have been impeached by the State House of Assembly. Allow me to provide some examples. The “All Africa” newspaper reported on 20 May 2021 that “provincial governors of Rwanda, Jean Marie, Vianney Gatabazi, and Emmanuel Gasana have been suspended from their duties pending investigations into financial accountability issues.” According to the Associated Press, the congress of the state of Tamaulipas in Mexico voted on April 30, 2021, to impeach the current governor of the state on charges of tax evasion and misappropriation of government funds. Just last February, Estonia’s Prime Minister resigned in the wake of an alleged corruption scandal involving a key member of his party (AP news). Eric Greitens, the governor of Missouri in the US, resigned in December 2019 amid investigations into alleged misuse of voter files during an election. Can any of these happen in Nigeria? Is it possible in Gombe State? Do our political leaders still have enough conscience, decency, and integrity to accept responsibility and resign when they are found to be engaging in illegal activities? Do we have legislatures that are not rubber stamps but rather co-equals with the executive branch to provide the checks and balances that our constitution requires?
Questions for Reflections: Who appointed Alh. Bappah to campaign for Malam Danladi? Who sent Bappah and his brother (Hakimin Tudu Kwaya) to try and bribe our kingmakers? Who gave Bappah tens of millions of Nigerian naira? Gombawa sun san amsar.
The second evidence that Gov. Inuwa was interested in promoting and imposing a particular candidate on the Tangale people is the theoretico-practical political bait and switch game of the GSG Mai Tangle election committee. On 14 February, a day before the election, this committee held a meeting in the office of the Deputy Governor who was also the chairman of the committee. Some of the members of the committee at this meeting were; Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Commissioner on Special Duties, the Chairperson Billiri LGA, the Director of State Security, the Commissioner of Police, the CAN chairman Billiri LGA, the Chief Imam of Billiri, some people from the government house, inter alia. There are two major things the rest of the world should know about this committee. First and foremost, the committee’s terms of reference state that the committee will oversee the election (not to conduct but to supervise). Second, at this meeting, the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs mentioned unequivocally that the Governor has stated that whoever receives the most votes among the candidates will be declared the winner and approved as the new Mai Tangle.
Unfortunately, none of the committee’s two critical guidelines were followed the following morning. First, the committee violated its terms of reference by conducting the election rather than supervising it. According to the information we gathered, Gov. Inuwa had a difficult time sleeping the night before the election. It was becoming clear to him that the Tangale people were with Dr. MIM in spirit, soul, and body. As a result, he activated Plan B by instructing the committee to hijack the election process the following morning. In obedience to the governor’s instruction the committee abandoned the Tangale people’s democratically patterned traditional procedures for the election of Mai Tangle. The committee used two votes to smuggle in the name of Malam Danladi. Nonetheless, Dr. MIM won the election with more than 50% of the vote (five votes). Dr. MIM was now to be declared the winner and appointed as the new Mai Tangle, according to the words of the governor through the Commissioner for LGs and Chieftaincy affairs at the committee meeting the previous day (14th February).
Not with Governor Inuwa! The governor stated that whoever receives the most votes will be the next Mai Tangle because he believed his candidate, Malam Danladi, would win since he had already “bought” our kingmakers for ten million Naira each. Oops! Gov. Inuwa was wrong! Plan A was ineffective. Tangale warriors have proven their worth. Gov. Inuwa was enraged to discover that he had been outwitted by the Tangale Magi, as in the story of Herod and the Eastern Magi in Matthew 2. By refusing ten million naira and voting for Dr. MIM, our proud kingmakers chose integrity over wealth, honor over money, competency over inefficacy, a prosperous future over the fleeting pleasures of the present, and royalty over politics. His Royal Highness, Na’aman Toyyo, the Mai Todi, was at the forefront of this battle for our nation’s soul. This explains why he was stalked, illegally arrested, and imprisoned in Abuja for several weeks. He was being persecuted for the sake of justice.
Questions for Reflections: Who made up the election committee, and why? Who gave the committee the mandate to supervise rather than conduct the election? Who assured the committee that the person with the most votes would be declared the winner and the next Mai Tangle? Who gave the committee the order to sabotage the election process? Gombawa sun san amsar.
The third proof that Malam Danladi was Gov. Inuwa’s preferred candidate is the governor’s blatant refusal to announce the clear winner of the Mai Tangle stool election. In 2019, when Alhaji Moh’d Inuwa Yahaya was elected as governor of Gombe State, INEC did not wait for several days to announce him as the winner. Once the counting was over he was immediately announced as the winner and the next governor of Gombe State. Gov. Inuwa did not wait several days after the recent election of the Emir of Funakaye to declare Alhaji, Mu’azu Muh’d Kwairanga as the winner. It happened right away. So, why did it take several days of silence, belittlement, and intimidation for Gov. Inuwa to announce the “wrong” results of Mai Tangle’s election? This election was held on Monday, February 15th, and there were only nine votes cast. How many days does it take to count 9 votes? Even after our mothers and sisters began protesting on the third day following the election (17 February), the governor refused to give even a two-minute speech to calm the situation and announce the winner. Furthermore, the governor refused to even listen to our political and community leaders who desperately wanted to persuade him to do the right thing. Instead, he flew out of state to Abuja to spend time with his mentor, Kaduna State Governor El-Rufai. They were discussing Plan C. God has already dealt with Plan A and Plan B. Several people urged Gov. Inuwa to listen to the people of Tangale and bring them justice. Among them were well-known Nigerians, key politicians from across the country (both from the APC and the opposition parties), royal fathers, sociocultural organizations, activists, the Department of State Security, among others.
However, their words fell on deaf ears. “When you are with El-Rufai who else shall you listen to?” Gov. Inuwa had a candidate and he was ready to do about anything to super-impose him on the Tangale people. How did that happened? Or did it really happen? This leads us to the fourth and last evidence.
Questions for Reflections: who was supposed to announce the result of the Mai Tangle election? Why didn’t he announce the clear winner? Why did he fly out of state while his house was on fire? Why didn’t he listen to the voices of wisdom? Gombawa sun san amsar.
The shameful and clandestine smuggling of the governor’s stooge, Malam Danladi, into Tangale land is the fourth piece of evidence demonstrating that Gov. Inuwa had a preferred candidate. That was their plan C. The attempt to bring in the governor’s stooge began on the second day of our women’s peaceful protests. They drove Malam Danladi, Malam Ahmadu Gimba Magaji, and Dr. MIM (now the Mai Tangle-elect) from Gombe to Billiri in government vehicles. They intended to leave the last two with the protesters and then smuggle Malam Danladi to the Mai Tangle palace and crown him king. The Tangale people, on the other hand, were aware of the plan and prevented government vehicles from passing through every single access road in Billiri. Our women and youths sacrificed their spirits, souls, and bodies to construct metal walls around Billiri. Gov. Inuwa’s minions returned to Gombe with their heads bowed down after several failed attempts to penetrate the metal walls of the Tangale people.
With plan C now laying on the ground – under the Tangale people’s feet – Gov. Inuwa invoked plan D. This would turn out to be the most dangerous strategy. The GSG did what any autocratic government would do if it were afraid of the consequences of peaceful protests. On the third day of the peaceful protests (Friday, February 19), some hired thugs introduced violence in Billiri in order to delegitimize our women’s peaceful protests (I will elaborate on this issue of Billiri violence in a subsequent exposé of this series). The governor then used tear gas and force to disperse the peaceful protesters. Then he abruptly declared a 24-hour curfew in Billiri. With the curfew in place, the governor was finally able to smuggle in the defeated Malam Danladi, accompanied by heavily armed security officers, and proclaim him the new Mai Tangle. This occurred on March 3, 2021. This date is remembered as one of the darkest days in Tangale history. There are five things that happened on that day: justice was perverted, truth trampled, democracy undermined, the voice of the people neglected, and the will of God rejected.
Malam Danladi has earned the honorable title of “Mai Inuwa” after being hand-picked, advertised, promoted, smuggled in, and unceremoniously appointed as “Mai Tangle” by Gov. Inuwa. This is what many of us Tangale people like to call Malam Danladi: “Mai Inuwa.” Dr. Musa I Maiyamba is the Mai Tangle-elect. Anyone can become a politician’s preferred candidate, but we the people of Tangale have done our election, and our Mai reigns in our hearts and will eventually be installed on our land’s stool. It is not a question of “if,” but of “when.”
Questions for Reflections: Who ordered Malam Danladi’s failed smuggling in government vehicles on the second day of the Billiri peaceful protests? Who sent political thugs to Billiri to incite violence in order to delegitimize our women’s peaceful protests? Who imposed a 24-hour curfew on Billiri town? Who ordered Malam Danladi’s second shameful smuggling to Billiri to be crowned as Mai Tangle? Gombawa sun san amsar.
From the evidence presented above, it is clear that: 1) Governor Muh’d Inuwa Yahaya preferred Malam Danladi Sanusi for the stool of Mai Tangle. 2) Number 1 above is a direct violation of his oath of office as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 3) The governor’s action is the source of all the confusion, violence, hatred, and divisions among our people.
Let the world know that Governor Inuwa Yahaya is the problem. Therefore, the solution cannot come from him unless he retraces his steps and do the right thing by giving the Tangale people their already elected Mai, Dr. Musa I. Maiyamba. Let the world know that this is all the Tangale people are asking for. So help us God!
Tadi writes from Kansas City, MO, USA. He can be reached via andele.tadi@my.wheaton.edu.
