In the shifting sands of Gombe politics, one office has proven remarkably unstable in loyalty – the office of the deputy governor which is often described as a spare tyre, only useful when the main wheel goes flat.

Since the creation of the state in 1996, Gombe has produced five elected deputy governors and one appointed governor, five of whom are alive today. Yet, in a striking pattern, all four of the living former deputies no longer share the same political camp and parties with their bosses and have drifted into political opposition against their former principals.

From the return to democracy in 1999 until now, the Gombe State deputy governor’s office has resembled less of a trusted partnership and more of a revolving door of alliances, betrayals, and abrupt realignments. The story of each deputy reveals a pattern of fragile loyalties, internal party schisms, and the often-tense relationship between governors and their second-in-command.

The First Deputy: Joshua Lidani and the Hashidu Years (1999–2003)

When Gombe’s first civilian governor, the late Abubakar Habu Hashidu of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), assumed office in 1999, he chose Joshua Lidani a respected lawyer, as his deputy. At the time, Lidani represented the promise of ethnic and religious balance, a crucial factor in the delicate politics of the young state.

But by the end of their tenure in 2003, the alliance had dissolved. Hashidu, who later drifted politically until his death in 2018, remained a marginal figure in opposition politics, while Lidani charted his own course, eventually becoming a senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The early split foreshadowed what would become a recurring theme, deputies outlasting their loyalty to their principals.

Yoriyo and Goje: From Partnership to Estrangement (2003–2011)

Mohammed Danjuma Goje, who took over from Hashidu in 2003 under the PDP, picked Lazarus John Yoriyo as his deputy. Yoriyo, a lecturer turned politician, was expected to consolidate Goje’s base and balance regional representation.

For eight years, Yoriyo served faithfully as Goje’s number two. Yet, after leaving office in 2011, their political paths began to shift sharply. Goje later defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), becoming a political godfather in the state, while Yoriyo settled into the opposition camp and was recently appointed as chairman of the transition and membership drive committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Gombe.

Albashi’s Tragic Tenure and Rubainu’s Appointment (2011–2015)

In 2011, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo won election as governor on the platform of the PDP, with David Miyims Albashi as his deputy. But tragedy struck within months after their inauguration, Albashi was involved in a serious car accident and later died in November 2011 at a German hospital.

In December 2011, Dankwambo appointed Tha’anda Rubainu as his new deputy. Rubainu would serve out the term from 2011 to 2015. While their working relationship appeared functional, Rubainu eventually distanced himself from Dankwambo’s camp after leaving office. Despite being in PDP with his former boss, before his recent defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), he has always pursued his own political interests.

Illiya and Dankwambo: A Temporary Alliance (2015–2019)

After Rubainu, Dankwambo selected Charles Yau Illiya as his deputy for his second term. Illiya, a Christian from the Tangale community, also fit the balancing act typical of Gombe’s political ticket.

But like his predecessors, Illiya has since drifted away. He no longer identifies with Dankwambo’s political network. His detachment with Dankwambo almost immediately after leaving office in 2019 mirrors the broader fragmentation of the PDP.

Meanwhile, commenting on the issue, in an interview with Daily Sun, Yoriyo explained his own split from Goje, stressing ideology over betrayal. He said, “I feel happy not being in the same party with my former boss. Politics is ideology. If the party deviates, I don’t have to be there. You don’t follow a person; you follow conviction”.

Asked if he felt betrayed, he replied: “No. Politics is about people, not personal interest. Even if you contest, the aim should be to benefit the people”.

A seat of discord

The recurring breakdown of partnership between governors and their deputies is not unique to Gombe. Across Nigeria, deputies and their principals frequently part ways, sometimes bitterly. From impeachment battles in Ondo and Edo to protracted rivalries in a host of other states, the deputy governorship has become a political minefield.

Analysts point to succession politics as the biggest reason governors part ways with their deputies. Deputies almost always nurse ambitions to succeed their principals, but governors never groom them as successors and even rarely trust them with that role. Instead, incumbents prefer to promote loyal protégés or outsiders they can control.

Regardless, there are three states where their deputies have so far succeeded them. These states are: Zamfara, Kano and Jigawa. Interestingly, they still fell out with their respective governors even after succeeding them.

The clash of ambition and insecurity is often seen as the root of most rifts. Meanwhile, others see the governor’s usual habit of relegating deputies to ceremonial roles as the reason for weaken bond. Once governors leave office, their networks decline, and deputies scramble for new platforms to remain politically relevant and survive. In Gombe, this cycle has played out repeatedly with uncanny consistency, creating a reputation that the number two seat is less of a steppingstone and more of a political dead end.

Implications for Gombe Politics

Even though Gombe State has witnessed a strong sense of continuity in infrastructural development across successive administrations, the recurring rift between governors and their deputies undermines political stability. If deputies who might carry forward policies often become opponents once out of office, over time, the state suffers from weakened policy implementation, institutional memory is lost, persistent leadership tussles, and governance driven more by survival politics than development priorities.

The key question is whether the cycle can ever be broken.

Since 2019, Dr. Manassah Daniel Jatau has served as deputy governor under Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of the APC. With the administration’s moves deeper into its second term, Jatau has so far maintained a cordial relationship with his principal. Unlike his predecessors, he has not made moves that suggest an impending rift.

Still, the history of the office raises questions. Will Jatau follow the well-worn path of estrangement once out of office, or will he break the jinx and establish a new precedent of partnership and continuity, rewrite the script as the first deputy in Gombe’s history to maintain lasting loyalty to his governor?

However, the scenario that could test the stability of the current relationship the governor and his deputy in Gombe are enjoying is the 2027 election, where Jatau may either step forward as a contender or find himself sidelined. Speculation about succession is already brewing and the two allies have an inevitable test to pass.

However, commenting on whether a deputy could one day break the jinx and become governor in Gombe, Yoriyo was cautious but hopeful. “It has never happened before. But, there is nothing impossible. One day will be one day,” he declared. (Daily Sun)