The Gamble without Gambo in Borno
then, Lawan has remained a major politician and was among the earliest foundation members of the ruling PDP.
As expected, the primary election adopted Gambo Lawan, whose name was forwarded to the party’s national secretariat as the gubernatorial candidate of the party in Borno. Gambo had earlier paid the mandatory N11million for the party’s nomination form.
But the funny bit of the party’s nuances began to manifest at the point of submitting the names to INEC. The story is that a new entrant to the party and former governor of the state, the controversial Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff “worked” on the National Chairman do the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, and caused the latter to alter the name and engrafted the name of Sheriff’s candidate, Mohammed Imam, thus undermining the effort Mr President and his Vice plus other party elders aimed at streamlining the process.
Already, the party’s stakeholders in the state are fuming and have written a protest letter to Mr President over the development stressing that the forum that produced Lawan was unique and unprecedented. “
Reminding the President of the caliber of the people who gathered and jointly endorsed Lawan, the petitioners led by Hon Aminu Yakudima noted that ‘’ the process and composition of the people present is first of its kind in the history of our great party which Your Excellency described as the Supreme Court of the party whose decision is final”.
The elders of the party in the state are peeved that a new comer to the party, Ali Modu Sheriff who had been granted much concession in nominating candidates for different electoral positions is also being the one granted the privilege of nominating even the governorship candidate, implying that the older members of the party have been all sidelined. The party stakeholders made the point that unless Gambo is retained and fielded in the election, the contest would be a gamble for the PDP.
As it stands, that’s where the Borno PDP issue is hanging. I hear Gambo has gone to court already in search of justice if he is not assured of it within his party. Will justice be done and allow Gambo to fly the flag or will the manipulation be established by fielding , who was not elected by the delegates? Where is INEC? We are all watching.