The call was contained in a statement by a prominent indigene of the state, Muhammad Jibrin Barde, following a recent attack on a former governor and current federal lawmaker from Gombe, Danjuma Goje, by alleged sponsored political thugs.
Governor of Gombe State, Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya, has been urged to promote unity among residents of the state instead of having a selfish political agenda.
The call was contained in a statement by a prominent indigene of the state, Muhammad Jibrin Barde, following a recent attack on a former governor and current federal lawmaker from Gombe, Danjuma Goje, by alleged sponsored political thugs.
Calling on all stakeholders in the state to join hands to ensure peace reigns and actualise the desired development, Barde said that acts of violence and politics of division will only set Gombe back on the path of underdevelopment if the people of the state don't work for a common good.
The statement reads, “For two and a half years now, the APC (All Progressives Congress) government in Gombe State has been unwilling to tell their followers the truth. History will rightly remember yesterday’s violence in Gombe incited by a sitting governor, who has continued to lie about the state finances as a moment of great dishonour and shame to our state.
“Given the antecedent of the Gombe State Government under the leadership of Governor Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya, this doesn’t come as a total surprise to us.
"However, there is no excuse for the kind of violence that we saw. It is counter-productive.
“I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks by criminals and thugs who unleashed the violence on Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje and his entourage peacefully exercising their freedom of association as guaranteed under the universal principle of human right. This incident led to unfortunate and needless loss of lives and properties.
“I applaud the courage and dignity of those who stood up to defend these rights.
"I stand with the peace-loving indigenes of Gombe in bearing witness to this brave and determined struggle for a universal right that we must all uphold."
Barde asked for support for the families of those who lost their lives, calling on the Gombe State Government to respect human rights in the interest of peace and progress in the state.
He said, “No force of any kind can stand against the wishes of the people in the state without destroying itself.
“The state has been enjoying relative peace but unfortunately the peace has been rattled.
"All Gombe indigenes should toe the path of peace and ensure that sanity is restored fully to the state. That is what we need to move this state forward.”