2019: 'No Rift between Dankwambo, Atiku'

By Emma Ella

The Senior Special Assistant to Gombe State Governor on Press Affairs, Junaidu Usman Abubakar, has refuted the recent media reports that the Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar 'are at war' over 2019 presidential ambitions, describing the insinuations as unfounded.

Junaidu in a statement made available to Yellowstone on Sunday stated that the attention of Dankwambo was drawn to a story published by Daily Independent Newspaper on January 5 with the caption '2019 Presidency: Atiku, Dankwambo at War in Gombe' which reported that his principal had ordered the arrest of Atiku's organisation coordinator in the state, one Ibrahim Bage.

According to the governor's spokesperson, the newspaper reported in the said story that the arrest was allegedly carried out by officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) who seized Bage's personal belongings, including phones, laptops and camera whisking him away to government house for a warning meeting with Dankwambo.

“We wish to categorically state that at no time did such thing happen. The governor never ordered the arrest of any such person, and he never spoke and met with Bage not in Gombe State Government House and not anywhere else at all.

“This falsehood against the governor is mischievous, fictitious and malicious. It is a big surprise that such concocted story was published by a reputable newspaper like Daily Independent without balance,” he said.

While urging the public to disregard the story, the governor's aide stressed that Dankwambo “has tremendous respect for Atiku and sees him as a father and mentor.

"The two leaders have good understanding about each other. Therefore, any plan or attempt to disrupt the wonderful relationship between them will fail'. This is a vivid attempt to create a rift between Dankwambo and Atiku by some political zealots. Gombe State under the leadership of Dankwambo has always been a truly democratic arena for all and sundry and it will remain so under Dankwambo's reign,” Junaidu claimed.