As the political process gathers steam towards 2023 general elections, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State seems to have been plunged deep into a crisis that may fast dwindle its fortunes in the process and, consequently, gravely affect its outing in the elections.
The crisis seems mainly factored by the political misunderstanding between the leader of the party in the state, Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje and Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya.
Recently, in a twist of events, the governor has when addressing people of Akko local government who paid him a solidarity visit in the government house, said, Senator isn’t as influencial as the governor and if someone had during his time promote thuggery, he’ll toe the same line, a statement many believe was referring to Sen. Goje who the major stakeholder from Akko ostensibly absent.
In another development, some party stalwart wrote a petition to the national headquarters of the party, alleging that Goje is scheming to systematically incapacitate the party to political inconsequence in the state, as he, also allegedly, perfects moves to decamp to the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for higher political interests.
Though, the Chairman of the party, Mai Mala Buni alongside the President of the state, Sen. Ahmed Lawan were seen at the Abuja residence of Sen. Goje and many opined they were there in respect of the lingering crisis in Gombe state.
Senator Goje has, incontrovertibly, enviably built his political personality to a collosal stature from the days he was appointed Minister of Power to 2003 when he assumed governorship of the state on the platform of the PDP, through his now third leg as senator.
So strong is Senator Goje in the Gombe politics that, in spite of his reported resignation from electoral contests, a mammoth throng of APC faithful in the state reportedly demanded that he vies for the seat again in the 2023 elections, threatening to sue him to court if he refuses to do so.
The crisis seems bellowed by a series of decampment of key members of the party who are, allegedly, political cronies of Senator Goje, or are indirectly associated to him; a frightening growth of dissenting voices within the APC by its members in sections of the state; and some of the party’s strongmen’s romance with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is said to be warming up to vie for the presidency on the PDP platform.
The raging disagreement between Senator Goje and his erstwhile Commissioner of Finance and now Governor Inuwa Yahaya, according to political observers, mainly ignited and stokes the crisis, causing the massive exodus of a critical population of not only the party’s henchmen but, to a scaring extent, droves of other members, especially at the Central Senatorial District.
A few of these instances characterising the crisis:
Alhaji Mohammed Jibrin Barde, the former Managing Director of SunTrust Bank, who came second of the nine contenders at the 2018 APC governorship primaries, recently defected to the PDP, claiming that Inuwa is running a one man government.
Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, alias Hamsal, who contested at the state 2018 governorship PDP primaries, and later decamped to the APC, recently resigned his membership of the party. Although it is still not clear whether he is heading back to the PDP, investigations show him sniffing around there.
The Dukku Local Government Chairman of the APC, Alh. Bashir Santuraki has tendered his resignation letter to state party leadership. Is he sniffing around the PDP? This is still not clear as he told our reporter that he’s ready to inform the public why he resigned and what would be his next political move.
A group of notable Gombe APC strongmen comprising Dr Ahmed Gana, Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s former Commissioner of Health; Dr. Lazarus Yoriyo, the former Deputy Governor; and Hon. Abubakar Abubakar BD, former member representing Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, were glaringly sighted recently paying a visit to Atiku Abubakar at his Yola residence.
It is still not clear if these eminent Gombe men are journeying back to PDP; but investigations show that is not unlikely.
The conduct of the party’s recent ward congresses apparently offended a substantial section of its followers, with several of the elected delegates, particularly in Akko Local Government Area, voluntarily resigning their positions, perhaps foreseeing an ‘impending doom’ in the party’s future electoral outings.
Recently, a substantial population of aggrieved members of the party in Shongom Local Government Area, , stormed the Gombe Government House in twelve vehicles, in strong protest to what they apparently perceived as misdeeds at the ward congress allegedly perpetrated by the Local Government Council Chairman and Hon. Commissioner who claimed to be acting based on the directives of the Governor.
