Goje’s Electoral War: The Confrontation with Tinubu, Governor Inuwa, Usman Kumo and the APC Candidates Ahead of 2027

By Engr. Ibrahim Suleiman Kashere

Political survival in a robust democracy demands loyalty, shared ideals and adherence to institutional discipline. Political parties are not mere vehicles for contesting elections; they are institutions built on trust, collective sacrifice and mutual accountability. Yet, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State continues to grapple with a recurring internal challenge centred on the actions and public posturing of Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje, a ranking Senator and one of the most senior political figures in the state.

When personal political expectations diverge from collective party decisions and progress, the resulting friction can compromise electoral cohesion and weaken organisational unity. Recent public statements attributed to Senator Goje, most notably the widely circulated video in which he reportedly directed his followers not to support certain official APC candidates, have brought the long-running disagreement within the Gombe APC back into sharp focus. To those who have followed the internal politics of the party over the years, these developments appear to reinforce concerns repeatedly expressed about his political posture, particularly during the 2023 general elections. What was largely discussed in whispers and allegations in 2023 is increasingly becoming an open political confrontation in 2026.

The friction between Senator Goje and the mainstream APC structure in Gombe State did not start today. It manifested clearly and painfully during the 2023 general elections. Despite flying the flag of the ruling party and benefiting from its platform, serious questions were raised by stakeholders regarding voting patterns across his immediate political base in Gombe Central. Party stakeholders and agents in Akko and Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Areas pointed to noticeable electoral gaps between presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives votes in a number of polling areas as possible evidence of internal political cross-currents and selective voting.

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The concern was straightforward: how could candidates of the same political party, contesting simultaneously before substantially the same electorate, record significantly different levels of support in areas where the party maintained a strong organisational presence? For many stakeholders, those discrepancies were not simply numbers to be ignored. They raised legitimate political questions about internal coordination, mobilisation and whether every component of the party machinery worked equally for all APC candidates. Post-election reviews and discussions among party stakeholders consequently alleged that internal coordination had faltered in ways that undermined some official party standard-bearers. The party entered a major election while managing serious internal contradictions when its energy should ordinarily have been concentrated on confronting opposition parties.

The electoral consequences for the APC in Gombe State in 2023 were enormous. Out of the six House of Representatives seats in the state, the APC secured only one—the Akko Federal Constituency seat won by Rt. Hon. Usman Bello Kumo—while it lost the remaining five. At the senatorial level, the APC similarly secured only one of the three seats: Gombe Central, retained by Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje himself. Gombe North and Gombe South were lost to the opposition.

For many APC stakeholders, these figures remain a painful reminder of the consequences they associate with the internal divisions, selective political support and alleged anti-party activities that characterised the 2023 elections. The political irony is difficult to overlook: while Senator Goje successfully retained his own senatorial seat, the APC suffered substantial losses elsewhere in the state. What should therefore concern every committed party member is whether the lessons of 2023 have genuinely been learned or whether the party is being dragged towards another cycle of internal confrontation ahead of 2027.

It was against this background that grassroots organs of the party initiated disciplinary proceedings against Senator Goje over allegations of anti-party activities. The process began in Kashere Ward, his own ward, where party officials announced disciplinary action against him in April 2023. The matter subsequently generated actions and reactions within other levels of the party structure. For those who initiated the process, it was presented not as witch-hunting but as an attempt to enforce party discipline and protect what they regarded as party supremacy. But the political questions that produced the controversy did not disappear. If 2023 was characterised by allegations of subtle political subversion and selective support, what we are witnessing today is far more open.

The political space in Gombe State has recently been jolted by a widely circulated video in which Senator Goje reportedly directed his followers not to vote for certain candidates whom he accused of working against his political interest. In my considered view, the message goes beyond an ordinary disagreement over individual candidates: it amounts to an open declaration of electoral war against those he perceives as having played a role in denying him another APC senatorial ticket.

The political figures and interests caught within this confrontation include President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR; Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya; Rt. Hon. Usman Bello Kumo; and other candidates of the APC, except for the few individuals Senator Goje specifically identified as exceptions deserving his support. For many of us who witnessed the internal disagreements of 2023, the present situation therefore appears to represent a transition from allegations of anti-party activities by implication to a much more explicit political confrontation with those he considers responsible for frustrating his senatorial ambition.

For a political figure who has been a major beneficiary of the APC platform from 2015 to date, such a posture is, in my view, deeply alarming and politically unpatriotic. Senator Goje has enjoyed the support, opportunities and electoral platform of the APC for more than a decade, including successive opportunities to represent Gombe Central in the Senate. To now turn against the party and its candidates barely four months to the 2027 general elections because the political calculations surrounding another senatorial ticket did not favour him raises profound questions about loyalty, reciprocity and commitment to the collective interest of the party.

At a time when every committed party leader should ordinarily be working to consolidate the APC, mobilise its supporters and strengthen its candidates ahead of the general elections, an open campaign against the party’s candidates risks deepening internal divisions and weakening the very political platform from which he has benefited for years.

For a man of Senator Goje’s standing, experience and stature—a former Governor, former Minister and ranking Senator—this development cannot be treated as an ordinary disagreement among grassroots politicians. His relationship with the APC since 2015 has provided him with a powerful political platform through which he has contested and retained his senatorial seat in successive elections, including 2019 and 2023. It therefore raises a fundamental political and institutional question when a serving Senator elected on the platform of a political party openly withholds support from candidates officially sponsored by that same party.

This is not merely about Senator Goje as an individual; it concerns the meaning of party membership, party discipline, loyalty and collective responsibility.

Even more troubling to many stakeholders is the political campaign against the member representing Akko Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Usman Bello Kumo, a principal officer of the House of Representatives and an influential APC figure within the constituency. Kumo has been associated with numerous federal interventions and constituency projects in Akko, including road and infrastructure projects, educational interventions, empowerment programmes and other federal initiatives. The establishment of the Federal Medical Centre, Kumo, has similarly become one of the most significant federal institutional developments in the area, although its actualisation involved the Federal Government, Gombe State Government and other institutional and political actors.

Whatever personal political differences may exist, the interests of Akko Federal Constituency and the APC should remain larger than disagreements between individual political leaders. It becomes particularly consequential when a senior member of the same political party campaigns against another member representing his own constituency while continuing to occupy elective office on the platform of that party.

The APC cannot afford to treat these developments with levity. A political party that cannot enforce its constitution and disciplinary standards consistently among its most influential members will find it increasingly difficult to demand discipline from ordinary members at ward and polling-unit levels. Public disagreements, selective endorsements and campaigns against officially nominated candidates can create avoidable divisions within the party framework. They can expose loyal APC members in Gombe Central, Akko and Yamaltu/Deba to fragmentation, confusion and demoralisation at a time when party cohesion should ordinarily be strengthened.

What is at stake, therefore, is not merely who flies the APC flag in Gombe Central, Akko or Yamaltu/Deba. The deeper question is whether party decisions, the party constitution, party hierarchy and collective responsibility continue to command respect irrespective of the status of the individual involved. No political party can sustainably operate two standards of discipline—one for ordinary members and another for political heavyweights.

Senator Goje’s enormous contributions to Gombe politics and his long years of public service cannot reasonably be denied. Neither should his political experience and influence be underestimated. But political stature should ordinarily impose greater responsibility rather than provide exemption from institutional discipline.

The path forward for the APC in Gombe State therefore requires a firm commitment to party rules, institutional strength, internal consultation and collaborative political leadership. The leadership of the party—from the national leadership through the state, local government and ward structures—must ensure that grievances are addressed through recognised constitutional mechanisms and that the collective mandate of the party is protected above individual interests and personal political feuds.

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At the same time, due process must remain fundamental. Any allegation of anti-party activity must be handled in accordance with the APC Constitution and applicable law. But due process must not become an excuse for institutional paralysis.

History repeatedly demonstrates that when political indiscipline is ignored because the individual involved is powerful, influential or electorally valuable, such conduct gradually becomes normalised. Once normalised, institutional authority becomes increasingly difficult to restore.

Gombe APC therefore stands at an important political crossroads. The questions raised in 2023 have returned, but this time under circumstances in which political positions are becoming considerably more explicit. The party must determine whether its collective decisions are binding on all its members or whether individual political interests can supersede officially adopted party positions. That determination should not be based on personality, faction or political convenience. It should be based on the APC Constitution, established party procedures, due process and the principle that no individual is greater than the institution to which he voluntarily belongs.

For those of us who believe in the supremacy, stability and continued progress of the APC, the lesson is unmistakable: internal disagreements must be resolved, legitimate grievances must be addressed, and institutional discipline must apply fairly and consistently.

The APC must remain greater than any individual. History has shown that when indiscipline is left unchecked, it becomes a culture. The time to address it is now.