In all political climes, party loyalty is cardinal and a nucleus of party’s development and sustenance. In a situation where one’s loyalty and commitment are in doubt, he may end up constituting an albatross on the wheel of the party’s progress.
Jamilu Isiyaku Gwamna is one name that has been in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as far as Gombe state politics is being discussed. He seems to have a double dating antics with both the APC and PDP. Consequently, APC hierarchy in the state and at the national level must be warned not to be swayed by his daytime love advances for our great party while he romances with the PDP at night.
It will appear Jamilu Gwamna has deceived everyone at the party with his crafty duplicity, thus I feel duty bound to draw the attention of the party to the man’s true colour before it makes the mistake of considering him for a national appointment; God forbid.
This is a man whose means of livelihood is still earned by working for a company that many Nigerians believe is owned by known PDP stalwarts, including but not limited to former Vice-President Namadi Sambo. If this is not reason enough to freeze this green snake out of the APC then I wonder what is.
There is ample evidence that although Jamilu Gwamna only cross-carpeted to the APC the same day he lost the PDP primaries, he is still without question, in a romance with his supporters whom he left in the PDP at the state. This, indeed, calls for concern, especially if such a man is even being considered for, let alone, given any political post in an APC government when there is an abundance of APC loyalists who have never shirked in their support of the party no matter the storm.
Without a doubt, this will be a serious tragedy, considering the sacrifices that many have made at various times to traverse the murky waters of Nigeria politics. Quite a number of APC faithful have, at great risks to themselves and their family, made major sacrifices to keep the APC ship afloat; chiefly at moments when, like a cheap basket, the party was hemorrhaging and needed the vital life support blood.
Surprisingly, Gwamna went into self-imposed political exile since 2007 after losing in the governorship election. But he didn’t as much as look back or contribute a dime for the sustenance of the party for the better part of 11 years. All the while, he was enjoying the patronage of his new found friends, the PDP, while perfecting his double-dealing shenanigans. I wonder who he thought will slave to keep the APC going only for him to waltz through at the top of another failed attempt at becoming governor this time, under the PDP, to come and reap where frankly, he never sowed.
It is consequent on this that, I call on Jamilu Gwamna to do the honourable thing and reveal his true identity now, repent and desist forthwith from playing this dangerous game, lest he be confronted with the wrath of God and the unkind commentaries of posterity. It’s obvious that his antics are capable of derailing the aspirations of the party at both the national and subnational levels. He should just stick with his current arrangement with the PDP against 2023 and allow APC to worry about governance at the moment.
I am sure the APC does not need to be reminded of the dangers of keeping double dealing and fair-weather party members within it ranks, considering the amount of sabotage it weathered during President Muhammadu Buhari’s first coming. But for Mr President’s impeccable character and the resilience of his biggest support base, the masses, the 2019 election would have been a disaster for which even posterity would have judged all APC members. This is the more reason chameleons like Jamilu Gwamna must be resisted at all cost lest they constitute themselves into appendages of the opposition – the Trojan horse that will be used to reduce APC to rubbles in coming years.
Gideon writes from Gombe.
