BY JOHN BULUS
BARELY two weeks after the former Accountant_General of the Federation (AGF), Alh Ibrahim Dankwanmbo won the gubernatorial ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State, there is a row in the state PDP over the choice of his running mate in the 2011 elections.

GOJE

Already, a queue of candidates who are jostling for the juicy office has emerged. In the list are former House of Representatives member, Mr. Charles Illiya and the current Chairman of Biliri Local Government Area, Hon Rabenson Wasa who is believed to be Governor Goje’s choice for the post.

Illiya had put up a  ‘fight’ to retake the ticket for Biliri Federal Constituency when a very prominent official in the State government allegedly showed up, asking him to allow Hon Yusuf Mana Swa, the current chairman of Balanga Local Government Area to pick the ticket and promised him (illiya) the office of the deputy governor.

However, it was gathered that the promise may not be fulfilled as Rabenson Wasa is allegedly being favoured for the seat.

To sail through, the chosen running mate has to convince the Tangale people, to whom the ticket has been zoned. The people are working under the aegis of Tangale Community Development Association, (TCDA), a foremost tribal body of all Tangale people rooted in Gombe State but with a national spread.

Though, Wasa has not formally told the community of his intention, the association said it would back a credible and well-educated person for the post because “the office of a deputy governor, which sometimes represents the governor even in some international gatherings demands someone with intellectual competence , humane mind, people_oriented, independent_minded and good exposure as credible prerequisites to be able to occupy and discharge the functions of that office.”

Efforts to get the attention Wasa for comments failed just as Governor Danjuma Goje and Ibrahim Dankwanmbo are keeping mum on the issue.

Sources confided in Vanguard that Dankwanmbo is totally handicapped on the issue, treading cautiously in order not to be ‘knocked on the head’ by the forces that brought him.

Beyond the peripheral understanding of the situation, it was learnt that a couple of factors are responsible for the imminent showdown.

Zoning formula
Gombe State, which was created out of the old Bauchi State in 1996, has two main religions: Islam and Christianity. Since the beginning of the democratic experiment in 1999, a common means of sharing power had been evolved so that no group would feel shortchanged in the equation. Evidently, while the Muslims, who are larger in population, produce the governor, the Christians who are scattered in different local governments of the state but mostly in the southern parts in four Local Councils of Biliri, Katungo, Shongom and Ballanga, produce the deputy.

The equation has so far produced deputy governors from two local government areas, namely: Katungo and Balanga.
Barr. Joshua Lidani from Katungo Local Government who deputized for the first civilian governor of the state, Alh Abubakar Hashidu between 1999_2003, kick_started the practice, followed by the current deputy who comes form Balanga Local Council.

By this, it means that under the democratic experiment, Katungo and Balanga have taken their shots.

Why Biliri LGA
Vanguard gathered that at the just concluded PDP primaries in the state, three out of the four local councils got a share in the tickets either for the House of Representatives or Senate. For instance, the serving Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Bintu, who hails from Shongom Local Council got the ticket to represent Shongom/Katungo Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives.

Also, the current Chairman of Balanga Local Council, Hon. Yusuf Manu Swa, was favored to represent Balanga/Biliri Federal Constituency while Barr Joshua Lidani from Katungo goes to the Senate. The arrangement, they said, left Biliri Local Council with the slot for the deputy governor.