New Gombe emir: Dankwambo reconstitutes king-making council

By Hassan Haruna Ginsau

The Governor of Gombe state, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo has reconstituted the king making council of the state which is in charge of selecting the next emir of Gombe.

The governor made this known in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Sule Bage.

Section 8, sub section 4 of the creation of Emirates, Districts villages, Wards and appointments and deposition of Emirates and chiefs law, 2004 mandates the governor to constitute kingmakers who would appoint the next Emir.

The council which formerly numbered twelve will now be made of ten members, including; the Wazirin Gombe as Chairman, the Ubandoma of Gombe as deputy Chairman, the Dan Lawal, Sarkin Mallamai, Sarkin Bai, Durbin Gombe, Ajiyan Gombe, the Chief Imam of the Gombe Central mosque.

This has now cleared the coast for the choice of an emir and a new one is expected to emerge this week.

The first duty of the kingmakers will now be shortlisting three out of the eight candidates currently vying for the throne.

The contenders for the throne include two of the late Emir’s sons; the eldest, Alhaji Mohammed Shehu Abubakar (Tafida), an assistant director in the presidency in his fifty’s, popularly known in Gombe as Mallam Yaya, and his second son, Abubakar Shehu Abubakar, popularly known as Bappa, who also is the Santuraki of Gombe.

Also in contention is the Yariman Gombe and district head of Gombe, AbdulKadir Abubakar who is popular among the people of Gombe and was said to have been running the affairs of the emirate council prior to the late Emir’s demise.

Others vying for the throne include former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Zubairu Mazadu; his younger brother, Bappa Mohammed Mazadu; Dr. Saleh Yarima Jibril; Dr Daudu Ibrahim Jalo; a former permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry of Communications, Alhaji Lamido Yuguda Executive Director, Debt Management Office, Gombe state, Abdullahi Yuguda, Registrar Gombe state University.

Dankwambo’s predecessor, Senator Danjuma Goje during his tenure as governor attempted to reconstitute the council but was blocked as it wasn’t received warmly by the people of Gombe.