For more than two decades, even before the drums of 2027 began to beat, Dr Jamilu Isiyaku Gwamna, the Sardaunan Gombe, has been writing his story not on billboards but in the lives of ordinary people. From corporate boardrooms to the dusty streets of Gombe State’s 11 local government areas, his name has become synonymous with quiet philanthropy, technocratic excellence and human capital development.
His corporate leadership record remains the foundation of that reputation. As Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), Gwamna transformed a struggling utility into a leading performing organisation. Within eight years, he grew KEDCO’s monthly revenue from N500 million to between N4 billion and N4.5 billion, expanded its workforce to about 3,000 employees, procured more than 200 operational vehicles and supplied about 500 new transformers worth billions of naira. It was a transformation built on prudent management, strong institutions and people-oriented leadership.
But the most enduring legacy of his years at KEDCO was the employment opportunities he facilitated for people from Gombe State. No fewer than 1,500 indigenes of Gombe State working with KEDCO recently endorsed him for governor, saying he facilitated their employment. His spokesperson puts the figure at more than 1,800 when employees of KAEDCO are included, in addition to over 1,000 young people employed during his tenure as Executive Chairman of the Gombe State Water Board. Many of those he mentored now serve as managing directors of electricity distribution companies, including Dr Abubakar Shuaibu Jimeta and Dr Umar Habu Hashidu.
His investment in education has been equally significant. Through personal funding, he sponsored 10 underprivileged students from Gombe State to study at universities in Morocco, covering their tuition, accommodation and feeding expenses. He also sponsored 39 students to attend Yamusa Science Academy in Kebbi State, many of whom are now undergraduates at various higher institutions. Parents such as Alhaji Yakubu Adamu from Yamaltu-Deba have described the initiative as unprecedented in the history of the state.
For women and vulnerable families, his interventions have been measurable. Through the Sardauna Foundation, more than 2,000 sewing machines were distributed to women between 2012 and 2018, alongside about 1,200 grinding machines between 2015 and 2018 and approximately 1,000 deep freezers in 2018. Between 2015 and 2024, about N70 million was provided as business support to women across Gombe State. The foundation also empowered 100 women in Gombe Local Government Area with N10,000 each in start-up capital after they completed skills acquisition training.
Beyond economic empowerment, his interventions have reached some of the most vulnerable members of society. His community activities have included sponsoring patients requiring specialised surgery in Kano and Abuja, including a young man from Kaltungo who lost a leg and needed a prosthetic limb. In 2026, he provided 100 wheelchairs to persons with disabilities, financed the construction and renovation of mosques across eight local government areas, donated vehicles to religious organisations and provided marriage support to young people.
Politically, his journey has been marked by loyalty and strategic mobilisation. Active in politics since 1999, he played a central role in the APC’s victory in 2019, which brought Governor Inuwa Yahaya to office, and spearheaded the movement that delivered Gombe North Senatorial District. Now unveiled as the APC’s consensus governorship candidate for 2027 and described by Governor Yahaya as a capable and experienced figure with deep grassroots appeal, he is campaigning on the platform of a “New Vision for Continuity and Sustainability”, promising inclusive and transparent governance focused on healthcare, education, agriculture and employment.
Today, the question in Gombe is no longer whether the Sardaunan Gombe has built structures, but whether a man who has spent 20 years building people, businesses and institutions without holding elective office can be trusted to lead the state.
For the 1,500 KEDCO workers who say he gave them life-changing opportunities, the graduates who studied in Morocco and the women who received sewing machines and freezers, the answer is already settled. He is not just seeking to win an election; he has spent his life helping others win theirs.
Muhammad Umar Faruk is a seasoned development journalist from Yamaltu-Deba, Gombe State. He is active online and has a large audience across social media platforms, including Facebook, X and Instagram. He is passionate about volunteerism, community impact and social development.
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