Gombe APC debacle: Facts behind the agenda against  Senator Danjuma Goje

By Umar Abubakar.

Since the news of the disquiet in Gombe state’s All Progressive Congress (APC) became public knowledge and increasingly becoming a cause of concern, opinions appear to have been split as to the real reasons behind the unfortunate and needless kerfuffle which has spilled out to the national political arena.

It all started – scratch that – it was first disguised as a normal party inquest following conclusion of the 2023 elections. 

However, the veil is now off as the situation has devolved into a full-blown crisis leading to the purported unlawful suspension and further absurdly and desperately expulsion of the former Governor of Gombe state and fourth-time Senator representing Gombe central district, Danjuma Goje and over 100 other party stalwarts by their respective wards. 

Though, to the unpracticed eye, the APC portrayed the suspension of Goje and other members as merely sanitizing its house after the last election. But, what we have witnessed is a carefully planned, but badly orchestrated chain of events that were given voice by the rubber stamped so-called APC ward and local government level executives that executed the plans of their paymasters.

It’s indeed laughable looking at the trumped up charges and allegations against Goje and the others who are largely and unapologetically loyal to him who were accused of allegedly engaged anti-party activities, especially during the governorship election which governor Inuwa Yahaya won.

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According to the APC’s designed script, Goje was also accused of shunning the flag-off of the Party’s Governorship and Presidential elections campaigns which was more of an afterthought than anything. 

Looking at what happened prior to the campaigns flag-off, It was a wiser for him to stay away from places where he will be exposed to verbal and possible physical attack.

It is on record, Goje’s convoy was attacked on the 5th November, 2021 where several lives were lost. Goje was also openly insulted on many instances and that could be enough a for him not to be an unwanted guest at the APC campaigns, hence his decision to keep his distance and stay safe.

While the media glorified the allegations of anti-party activities against him, an analysis of the entire election in Gombe reveals very interesting facts. 

Beginning from APC’s woeful showing in the Presidential election where the sitting APC Governor , Inuwa Yahaya who doubles as the Northeast Coordinator of Tinubu/Shetima Presidential Campaign Council, lost his polling unit, ward, local government and must bear responsibility for losing the state to PDP; to losing two out of the three Senators as well as five out of the six House of Representatives members to the opposition PDP. 

Curiously, the Governor won re-election, while recording strong wins at his Polling Unit, Ward and LGA all of which he lost to PDP during the Presidential and National Assembly elections. In contrast, his co-coordinator in the Northwest, Governor Bello Matawalle delivered Tinubu and some national assembly seats but lost his own re-election bid and by all sense of judgement and standard, the duo aren’t the same, if a question of who compromised what and where is rise, the pointers will definitely rapt at the former.

It will be a case of accused trying to become accuser, Goje stood firm to win re-election to the Senate, saving APC’s blushes as the only Senator to be elected on the Party’s platform in the last election and the lone house of representative member who won alongside Goje, may have enjoyed some leg up for being in the same constituency with Goje. 

In fact, what the public outside Gombe has not been told is that Governor Inuwa also won elections in Goje’s playgrounds. This is why it becomes hard to really understand why Goje, the man whose steadfastness shone through the entire election is being accused of involving in anti-party activities and not governor Inuwa Yahaya whose selective success throughout the election could be more suggestive as sabotage. 

If not for Goje’s victory, the APC in Gombe could have been wiped-out during the February 25 election as he remained the only symbol of the party in the state before Inuwa later and narrowly joins him in the club of winners.

Today, with two serving senators, five house of representative in the 10th Assembly, PDP is posing a big threat to the ruling APC and Inuwa Yahaya and all those who care for the future of the party in the state should have worried and busy finding ways to restore the party back to its lost glories not the disseminated suspension and expulsion of its membership, two wrongs will be right.

It will certainly make more sense for the APC leadership in Gombe to man up and tell the people of the state and indeed Nigerians why they are really after Senator Goje and stop insulting our sensibilities. 

The fact remains that, despite winning the governorship election, governor Inuwa Yahaya still feels that he’s not entirely in control of the party in Gombe state. He and his lackeys at the ward and local government level are still insecure and afraid of the powers that Goje wields not just as an APC leader in Gombe state, but also a political colossus who retains the reverence and admiration of virtually all politicians in the state, regardless of their political platform. It is just as well because Goje has a hand in the rise of every politician that’s worth his onions in the state currently. It’s no surprise then that the name of Goje continues to make Inuwa Yahaya and his stooges giddy-headed.

In demonstrating his political worth, erudition, and sagacity, Goje won his re-election with overwhelming margin without campaigning for a single day and in spite of the political landmines buried on his path of returning to the national assembly by adversaries. This has rather justified the fact that those who insisted he should not vow out, stood and voted for him for the fourth time without seeing him during the campaigns.

It’s instructive for whoever wants to delve into the hatchet job of fighting Goje to know that the man has spread his political tentacles to all nooks and crannies of our political space and no amount of malice and nastiness against him will destroy his legacies and erode his dearness in the hearts of the people whose lives he positively touches in one way or the other.

At this juncture, it becomes pertinent to trace Goje’s political journey even if just for records, but most importantly, to contextualise his larger-than-life image which Inuwa Yahaya and his underlings are attempting to unravel. In 2003, Goje all alone overthrown the ANPP government of Abubakar Habu Hashidu to herald an era of unprecedented growth and development in the state. Winning under the platform of PDP, Goje served out two terms of four years each before handing over to Governor Dankwambo, also of the PDP who survived the Buhari tsunami of 2015 to also serve two terms. 

It’s on record that Goje handed over a fully PDP state to Dankwambo in 2011, when joined the APC, he led the return of the state to fully APC in 2019 and today because of the prevailing feud and internal wrangling bedevilling the party, the PDP are dominant in the national assembly with few of its membership in the state assembly, it the ugly trend persist to 2027 while everybody reluctantly watches, the APC will be a thing of a history in Gombe.

Indeed, the quickest way to self-destruction is to destroy those who helped you in the past, especially by banking on emotions and ego. Remember, power is transient, the Kwankwaso/Ganduje saga in Kano should serves as a big warning to the wisem.en and women in authority in Gombe and anywhere else.