By Iliya Kure
A pressure group from southern part of Gombe State, the Tangale Intelligentsia Movement (TIM), has passed a vote of no confidence on All progressive Party (APC) political leaders from the zone.
A statement by Organizing Secretary, Benjamin Dangoma Tanglang and Publicity Secretary, I.Y. Mela Esq, made available to AFRICA PRIME NEWS, says the decision followed the outcome of a meeting by APC politicians from the zone, where they “claimed to have critically assessed and evaluated the performance of Governor Inuwa Yahaya and thereafter adjudged him to have fulfilled all his Campaign promises.”
According to TIM, its own analysis of performance showed that Governor Yahaya has failed to fulfil his campaign promises as claimed by the APC politicians, “Governor Inuwa Yahaya promised to make farming very attractive in Gombe State by supporting farmers, TIM carried out an independent verifiable survey and the farmers in Gombe South decried lack of attention from this government to the extent that some of them are leaving farming because they are used to support from previous governments.
“There was also the issue of Local government autonomy and ensuring that democracy thrives at the grassroot. Governor Yahaya reiterated this position on 17th December, 2020 during a state wide broadcast that: ”As the third tier of government and the one that is closest to the grassroots, our local governments deserve the highest priority. Therefore, the decision on who governs them and how they should be governed is a matter of great priority”. Dear stakeholders, do you remember how you were arm-twisted during the party primaries? I remember how Balanga came with two lists of candidates because he (the governor) does not respect your opinions. We all remember how there was no elections anywhere in the Local government areas. He also established a Joint Projects Development Agency to further subdue the Local councils.
“He also promised during his campaigns that he will run an all-inclusive government without discrimination based on religion or ethnicity. That development will be spread across board without any bias. We have counted the number of roads constructed in Jeka da fari, but found none in Tumfure, because Tumfure is predominantly Gombe South people,” the statement says.
According to TIM, the Governor has also failed to keep his promises on upholding democratic principles, “Another campaign promise was that the government will respect democratic principles and allow Gombe State people to choose for themselves what they want. He admonished the people of Gombe in the same broadcast of 17th December 2020 with the following words: “Elections, like every other contest, must have winners and losers. It is not a do-or-die affair. At the end of the process, every side should respect and accept the will of the people and move on”. We challenge these stakeholders to tell the people of Gombe South if the actions and inactions of the governor during and after the election of Mai Tangle on the 15th February, 2021 fulfills the above statement.”
The TIM also debunks the claim by the politicians on appointment of Tangale-Waja sons and daughters into high profile offices, “In the said communiqué they mentioned high level appointments as one of the benefits enjoyed by the zone. We found that absurd because these individuals were witnesses to the following:
- The outright denial to make Mela Audu Nunghe (SAN) the Attorney General of Gombe State because of his origin and faith.
- The refusal to make My Lord Hon. Justice Beatrice Lazarus Iliya the Chief Judge of Gombe State, despite being the most qualified.
- The appointment of one Adamu Maitama a Hausa young man who resides in Billiri, as Deputy Chief of staff (Gombe South)
Which high level appointments are they exactly referring to please?
The pressure group says, the vote of confidence on the Governor was nothing other than rigging plans ahead of the 2023 elections, “We are convinced that this Kangaroo arrangements are all geared toward rigging the 2023 election because they have nothing to show. Be assured that the good people of Gombe South will stop at nothing to ensure your evil plans and that of this insensitive government do not see the light of the day,” the statement concludes.
