The return of Galambi to the House

Hon. Yusuf Galambi, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in last Saturday’s by-election, conducted to fill the Gwaram federal constituency seat in Jigawa state, has emerged victorious. He passed through all hurdles.
The returning officer, Ahmad Shehu, after collating results from the 248 polling units, declared that Galambi polled 29,372 votes to defeat PDP’s Kamilu Inuwa, who polled a distant 10,047 votes.


“Galambi, having secured the highest number of votes in the bye-election, is hereby declared the winner,” Shehu declared on Sunday, by this declaration, the people of Jigawa , particularly Gwaram constituency, had once again chosen and embraced their beloved representative, a man with a track record of selflessness, honesty and fair-play.
As expected, Galambi emerged victorious not because of anything but because of the love he had shown to his people when he was once there. The man won in a landslide, taking over 70 percent of the total votes cast while his closest opponent, who flew the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), took only 20 per cent.
This victory came as a surprise to many, but to the political conscious people of Jigawa state, it was not a surprise because Galambi had been tested and trusted by his constituency, and that the people now realized that it was Galambi that they want but not the other way round because he had been in the National Assembly before and his records had spoken for him. So, this is a return to duty post to a familiar turf in answer to his to his people’s call once again.


Galambi has come again with his wealth of experience necessary at a time like this. He has come again to truly identify with his people. Most importantly, he is not on the job training, so surely, he will hit the ground running in the job of law making in the interest of his constituency and Nigeria as whole.


He once lost the election after serving for some years in the recent past. But now the Jigawa people have realized that it was a costly mistake to have allowed another person to go to the National Assembly in the place of their selfless representative who always identified with their hopes and aspirations.
Before his election, some hired character assassinators using online media, tried to swing the election to the side of his PDP opponent by telling lies that the people were protesting against his candidature. But this was just a figment of the imagination of his traducers, as the people of his constituency knew the gimmick and countered it by massively voting for him on the Election Day.


Before now one Usman Usman Birnin Kudu had warned on some national dailies that all those who were maligning Galambi would be put to shame and it came to pass, because he won the election they wanted him to lose.
“The current campaign of calumny against Galambi will fail because the people of Jigawa state are solidly behind him. Biased outsiders and men of questionable character cannot decide for the people of Jigawa state who their candidates should be. No effort put up by political opponents and their media collaborators, no matter how huge, can succeed in bringing down Hon. Galambi, who is like a house built on the rock.
“The so-called protest was just imagined by some disgruntled elements who want to rubbish Hon. Galambi. But I doubt they can succeed because Galambi’s character has built a huge goodwill around the people, so much so that it will be a herculean task for anybody or group who want to pull him down to succeed. The people of Jigawa know better. They know who they love. They know who is in their heart. They know who they want to represent them in the National Assembly,” Birnin Kudu had warned.


It is a pity that some elements among the good people of Jigawa state who want nothing for the state spread falsehood against an honest person just to discredit him. But a golden fish has no hiding place. In their malicious propaganda, they said APP supporters publicly displayed guns, cutlasses and other weapons of destruction during the by-election primaries that produced him, as reported by Sahara Reporters. Now the bearer of the fake news has been shamed. They claimed that the protesters were chanting Hon. Yusuf Galambi’s name. This was just to convince gullible voters. In the story, they used an old photograph taken from an unknown place, which has no link with Jigwa or the election in question. But man plans, God plans, and God is the best of planner. Today all the political manipulations against him had been put to shame deservedly.


Galambi had been a true representative of his people. He possesses a rare leadership quality which other constituencies in the federation should be envious of. He is honest and accountable to the people of his constituency and Jigawa state.
Galambi’s selflessness and generousity endeared him to both his compatriots and the people of his constituency. His love for the people prompted him to once again seek a return to his old duty post. In fact, the people in his constituency form the focal point of his representation.


Unlike most Nigerian politicians who are preoccupied by financial gains and sparks of office as motive for seeking public office, Hon. Galambi is going to the National Assembly mainly to serve his people; and he will serve them once again according to his conscience.

Dauda, a commentator on national issues, writes from Gwaram, Jigawa state.