By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Elders Forum, Community Development and Socio-Cultural Associations as well as Tangale Community Overseas have rejected Mal. Danladi Sanusi Maishanu as Mai Tangale, (a paramount traditional ruler in Gombe state), leading to tension in the area predominantly dominated by one religious faith in Gombe state, North Eastern Nigeria.
Already, representatives of the Tangale Elders Forum, Community Development Association, Kwagam Tangle Socio-Cultural Association, Tangale Community Overseas amongst others have signed the rejection of emergence of the Maishanu as Mai Tangale, alleging he is not a true son of the soil.
This is contained in a statement issued Tuesday and signed by Elder Tele K. Elsa Secretary, Tangale Elders Forum, Mr. Reuben A. Bauna, Secretary Tangale Community Development Association, Major B. S. Uba (rtd) Secretary, Kwagam Tangle Socio-Cultural Association and Mr. Lamela Umaru Lakorok, Secretary, Tangale Community Overseas respectively.
According to the “Joint Press Statement: Mal. Danladi Sanusi Maishanu is not a Tangale Man, He Cannot be Mai Tangle”.
The statement read in parts: “It has become imperative at this point in time for the Tangale nation to make it known to the world that the person, Mal. Danladi Sanusi Maishanu is not a Tangale man; he does not carry Tangale blood in him. Therefore, he cannot be Mai Tangle, and the Tangale people will continue to reject him.
We know every descendant of the Maiyamba family; Danladi is not one of them. We challenge anyone holding a contrary opinion to prove otherwise.
Similarly, we know the history of how each of the seven clans of Tangale kingdom arrived and settled in the present location, including names of individual family members whose fathers later joined the Tangale union long after our forefathers had fully settled in the land.
For the record, Mal. Danladi’s biological father (unknown) and biological mother (late Mama Rachael) were not of Tangale extract.
The person whom Mal. Danladi claims to be his father, that is, late Mal. Maishanu Maiyamba, was known to be infertile; he never gave birth to anyone.
Before late Mal. Maishanu met Danladi’s mother, he had other wives who lived in Tangale land; none of them bore him a child, simply because he was infertile. This is widely known in Tangale land.
For the avoidance of doubt, late Mal. Maishanu was not the only one in the Maiyamba family with that condition. The 14th Mai Tangle, Mai Mohammadu Iliyasu Maiyamba (Tafida) was also infertile.
Late Mal. Maishanu was a health inspector (Duba Gari) whose work had taken him to various places in the then Tangale Waja Native Authority, including Nyuwar town, where he met Danladi’s mother. His lifestyle was known to many people in Tangale land, some of them, still alive.
In the mid-1960s when Mal. Danladi’s mother arrived in Billiri town to join Maishanu as wife, she came along with a daughter, between 3-5 years old, called Bebi, and a 5-month old pregnancy (Danladi’s). Knowing his infertility condition, and having parted ways with her for more than two years, Maishanu rejected both Rachael and the pregnancy, simply because there was no way she could carry a five month old pregnancy for him.
Despite pressure from his elder brother, the 13th Mai Tangle, Mai Iliyasu Maiyamba, and a relative, Baba Majidadi Lakwas, late Maishanu remained adamant and maintained his position. It is a known fact that Mal. Danladi was not born in late Maishanu’s house, but that of Baba Majidadi Lakwas.
It should be noted that earlier, Danladi bore many names and aliases including Ladoddi, and Akwati (a name associated with his alcoholic lifestyle). He later adopted Salisu and finally settled with Sanusi (supposedly as a surname having realized that Maishanu was not his biological father). The name Danladi was assigned to him at birth, being born on a Sunday date.
Danladi’s elder sister Bebi (now deceased) married in Kaltungo town of Gombe state. She passed away in Kaltungo and was buried there.
After leaving Billiri town, Danladi’s mother moved to Yola city in Adamawa state and got a job as a cook in GGSS Yola. She later married a man and bore him a daughter.
To be clear, Danladi and his two sisters had separate fathers, and none of the three fathers is from the Tangale tribe.
Having enumerated the above, we challenge Mal. Danladi to publicly dispute our claims by listing out his siblings, individuals who are offspring of late Mal. Maishanu.
In all this, we blame the Maiyamba ruling family for their silence over this matter, and for allowing Mal. Danladi contests for the stool of Mai Tangle up to three times under their family flag, knowing fully well he is not one of them. The Tangale people will not keep quiet and allow this illegality to continue.
Once again, we question the motive of Gov. Inuwa Yahaya for forcefully imposing a non-Tangale man and announcing him as Mai Tangle contrary to provisions of our culture and our wishes.
Right from the beginning, Gov. Inuwa manipulated his way using government officials to ensure two out of the nine Tangale kingmakers voted for the non-Tangale man.
In a speech in 2021, Gov. Inuwa told the world that he conducted a background and security check on the three names presented to him for the final selection of one as Mai Tangle. If he truly did, it means he found out that Mal. Danladi is not a Tangale man. So, why would Gov. Inuwa ignores such critical information, other than for his intention of creating confusion and chaos in Tangale land.
The same chaos he extended to the Tangale Community Development Association (TCDA), by using his stooge (Danladi) to announce a set of mediocre individuals as caretaker leaders of the Tangale socio-cultural body. Shamefully, Gov. Yahaya’s government embraced these mediocre as TCDA leaders and has continued to entertain them at government functions.
But to their surprise, the entire Tangale people, both in Nigeria and in the diaspora ignored them, and chose to remain united in TCDA under the leadership of Mr. P. T. Gambo who has been conducting General Assembly meetings of the Association. The General Assembly, which is the highest decision making component of the Association brings together chairmen and secretaries of TCDA branches in all states of Nigeria.
It is noteworthy that in the course of this struggle, we have seen how Gov. Yahaya engaged non-Tangale people to meddle in our internal affairs, right from the consultations, leading to the election of Mai Tangle. These people colluded with some sycophants from Tangale land, including a person with history of mental retardation to constitute a nuisance.
However, for three years they remained stagnant and could not move an inch because, Tangale people remained resilient and refused to recognize Mal. Danladi Sanusi as Mai Tangle.
In the light of this, the Tangale people are telling Gov. Inuwa Yahaya enough is enough, stop meddling in the internal affairs of the Tangale people.
In 1986, Military Governor of the then Bauchi State, Col. Abu Ali respected the choice of Tangale people by announcing Mai Mohammadu Iliyasu Maiyamba as the 14th Mai Tangle.
Likewise in 2001, first civilian Governor of Gombe State, Alh. Abubakar Habu Hashidu respected the choice of the Tangale kingmakers by announcing Mai Abdu Buba Maisheru (II) as the 15th Mai Tangle. We see no reason Gov. Yahaya will shun the decision of our kingmakers and impose a non-Tangale man on us.
We demand that Gov. Inuwa Yahaya stops parading a non-Tangale man in the person of Danladi Sanusi in government programs as Mai Tangle – we will no longer accept that. We demand that the Billiri Local Government Council stop inviting and parading a non-Tangale man in the person of Mal. Danladi as Mai Tangle.
We appeal to the royal fathers and the Gombe State Council of Chiefs to stop recognizing Mal. Danladi Sanusi as Mai Tangle; he is not a Tangale man, nor from the Tangale royal blood line; his appointment by Gov. Yahaya is a violation and abuse of the Tangale culture. Danladi has no right, nor any business sitting amongst you representing the Tangale people.
We call on the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigerian Police Force to stop inviting Tangale people for questioning over the issue of Mai Tangle; your past investigations would have shown that Mal. Danladi is not a Tangale man, therefore, stop bothering us over a situation you assisted Gov. Inuwa to create.
We have tolerated this charade for three years, we therefore call on the National Security Adviser (NSA) Mal. Nuhu Ribadu to impress on Gov. Yahaya to remove the person he forcefully placed in the palace of Mai Tangle. We cannot accept a non-Tangale man as our traditional ruler. We no longer wish to keep accommodating the nuisance in the palace of Mai Tangle, nor the trouble he keeps creating in our land.
The majority of our kingmakers, in line with our culture selected Dr. Musa Idris Maiyamba; a true Tangale man, son of Idris Iliyasu Maiyamba, and of the Maiyamba royal blood line, as the 16th Mai Tangle. This is the person that culturally meets the requirement for the office of Mai Tangle.
For emphasis, based on our culture, the Tangale people do not need anyone’s permission to affirm Dr. Musa Idris Maiyamba as the 16th Mai Tangle. There is no law in Nigeria that requires a people to respect or recognize a ruler appointed by a Governor against their culture and wishes.
No one should make a mistake; Tangale people remain resolute and unshaken on this matter. We know our history; no one can rewrite it”, it stated.
