Your Excellency, Sir,
Without mincing words, Section 1 (1) of Nigeria’s Constitution opens with the following clause:
“This Constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
In this opening, I am made to believe that these provisions are also binding on Your Excellency, in your capacity as the custodian of the law.
Section 21 (a) says “The State shall:
(a) protect, preserve and promote the Nigerian cultures which enhance human dignity and are consistent with the fundamental objectives as provided in this Chapter.”
Many years before His Excellency was born to one day become the Governor of Gombe State, it has been part and parcel of the Tangale culture that upon the demise of Mai Tangle, the Tangale Kingmakers would conduct election, in a transparent manner, to choose a successor of the late Mai and they were expected to forward the name of the winner to the Chief Returning Officer of the State, in this case your humble self, to declare the result after approving, not his disapproval, and as a mark of respect in your capacity as the Chief Security Officer of the State. The Chief Returning Officer is not expected to declare a candidate with the lowest votes over the one with the highest votes no matter how he likes or dislikes him. Because it will only invite the wrath of the electorates.
By the provisions of the law quoted above, this implies that any law your administration or any previous administrations had promulgated whether or not intentionally becomes null and void as provided in Section 3 of the Constitution cited below:
“If any law is inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution, this Constitution shall prevail, and that other law shall to the extent of the inconsistency be void.”
By this provision, any law that Gombe State Government promulgated that empowers His Excellency to choose anybody he wishes to from the list of the election returns of our Kingmakers, regardless of the votes of the candidates and their clans, is alien to our culture and inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Therefore, it will be a mark of honour if His Excellency uses his good office and the power bestowed in him to declare the candidate with the highest vote as the new Mai Tangle. With this single act, your name will be written in the Guinness Book of Record like your predecessors who shelved personal interest and approved whichever name was brought before them.
Please, do not allow disgruntled elements to use you to destroy the good relationship that has been existing between us and our Muslim brethren for decades. A time will come when a Muslim Mai Tangle will be elected by the same people as it has happened in the past. We are people that respect and love ourselves regardless of our faith. No Muslim can love our Muslim brothers and sisters more than us because they are our own blood and a common adage says “blood is thicker than water”
Please, choose the part of honour and declare Dr. Musa Idris Maiyamba, the candidate with the highest votes, and the most popular candidate amongst the people of Tangale as the new Mai Tangle. Do not allow yourself to be misinformed by enemies of progress and religious bigots who’re only out to plant the seed of discord amongst the peace loving people of Gombe State.
Long live Tangale Maidom!
Long live Billiri LGA!!
Long live Gombe State!!!
Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria
Right Hon. Alhamdu Durami Bsc (Hons) Psychology, MSC. Organizational Psychology, PGDE, EMC Proj. Mgt (UK)
