Gov Inuwa Yahaya: Scaling Through Hurdles of Re-election
By Idris Umar Feta,
The Governorship and State House of Assembly polls in Gombe State, last weekend, was epic and titanic in every sense of the words.
But it is now history, especially with the emergence of a new set of lawmakers for the State Assembly and the re-election of Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya Governor of the State.
Governor Yahaya won his re-election bid after overcoming the threats candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP, had posed, prior to the guber poll.
He was declared winner of the Gombe governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, after polling 342,821 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Alhaji Mohammed Jibrin, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Yahaya won in nine out of the 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state. The difference between APC and PDP scores was 109,690 votes.
Before the election, political analysts had concluded that the PDP candidate, Mohammed Jibrin, and Hamisu Ahmed Mailantarki of the New Nigerian peoples Party, a onetime House of Representative member, will unseat the incumbent governor.
But in the end, the APC and Governor Yahaya emerge triumphant.
One of the factors that led to Governor Yahaya’s victory was the inability of the PDP and NNPP to form a coalition to challenge the ruling APC. The NNPP, though relatively unknown, gained some traction in the state and was able to secure some votes.
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Again, Governor Yahaya was also able to manage his differences with Senator Danjuma Goje, an APC chieftain. The two were able to settle their scores before the governorship elections.
In addition, several PDP chieftains who would have been instrumental to the party’s victory deserted their candidate, Muhammad Barde, probably due to the plurality of opinion on matters affecting the party. The likes of former Deputy Speaker Bayaro Nafada who disappeared into thin air during the March 18 election.
Governor Yahaya’s developmental projects also endeared him to the people of the state. He built maternities in all the wards of the state and provided solar panels on the streets in the state capital, thereby reducing the cost of diesel that was previously used to power the streets lights. These projects, coupled with his massive support in Gombe North, where he hails from, contributed to his victory.
Taking everything into account, Governor Inuwa Yahaya was able to secure a second term as governor of Gombe state due to a combination of factors, including the failure of the PDP and NNPP to form a coalition, his ability to manage his differences with Senator Danjuma Goje, and his development projects, which earned him the respect and love of the people.
That is why he cannot afford to dash the hopes and expectations of the citizens and residents of The Jewel of the Savannah, who have elected to return him to the Gombe Government House, for him to continue with the good works he has been doing, in the last four years.
