There was jubilation in Gombe State on Tuesday as a frontline politician and business mogul, Abubakar Habu Muazu, organised a rally to show solidarity with President Muhammadu Buhari and welcome him back to Nigeria.
Muazu who led a state-wide rally tagged “Welcome Back President Muhammadu Buhari”, used the occasion to consolidate his grip on the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.
Speaking with journalists, Muazu said he was bankrolling the rally to demonstrate the state’s support for the president.
He said it was solely his initiative but in conjunction with the party.
Surprisingly, former governor, Senator Danjuma Goje shunned the event.
Feelers reveal that Goje belongs to the Saraki faction of the party and may not be disposed to attend a pro-Buhari rally.
Muazu said, “I sponsored this event to show our love and support for the president in Gombe state. Other stated are demonstrating this love and support. I don’t feel Gombe should be left out. It is not a purely party affair because President Buhari now enjoys support across all the parties. But he’s from the APC and so the party at the state level is involved.”
Investigations revealed that he picked virtually all the bills for the rally which took over the whole state.
Muazu has declared his intention to run for governor of Gombe state in the party. A vox pop conducted in Gombe revealed that he is a favorite, especially among the grassroot who have continued to root for him.
Muazu said that he wants to bring back good governance to the state when elected. He decried the misuse and misplacement of priorities in governance. He said that some projects carried out by government do not address the immediate need of people. He said his philosophy is to embark on projects that would ease the suffering of the common man.
He criticised the incumbent governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, saying he had failed the state.
Muazu said, “on the surface, it would appear Dakwambo is working but he is only embarking on projects that would put money in his pockets like some bogus road networks. But go to the hospitals and see. No drugs. Nothing is working. At a time even some PDP governors from the south are visiting Buhari, Dankwambo went to visit a well known foe of the president.
“Dankwambo is not representing us. It is a well known fact that Dankwambo was an avid supporter of the ” Resume or Resign” agitation against President Buhari. He took Gombe money and went to build a palace for a traditional ruler elsewhere while our palaces in Gombe needed serious works.”
