Former Gombe State governors Danjuma Goje and Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo on Thursday boycotted the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign and Advisory Councils, dealing an immediate blow to the ruling party’s reconciliation efforts ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The high-profile boycott occurred at the ceremony presided over by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, who had used the event to appeal for party harmony, mutual concessions, and grassroots mobilization to deliver electoral victories for President Bola Tinubu and other APC candidates.
The controversy deepened on Friday after Dankwambo, a prominent chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its confirmed candidate for the Gombe North senatorial seat, formally disowned his appointment to the ruling party’s council.
His media aide, Husaini Ali Mohammed, disclosed that the former governor neither consented to nor was notified of his inclusion on the roster, confirming that a formal statement would be issued to set the record straight.
According to the official registers released by the party, Goje appeared on the advisory council list, while Dankwambo was similarly gazetted on the panel despite his executive leadership role in the state’s main opposition party.
A resident of Federal Low Cost in Gombe, Abdu Isah, observed that the uncoordinated appointments highlight a distinct divide between printing influential names on paper and securing their active on-the-ground allegiance.
The absence of Senator Goje, who currently represents Gombe Central in the National Assembly, was widely viewed as a reflection of lingering internal acrimony with Governor Yahaya.
Insiders attributed the rift between the two leaders to recent friction surrounding Goje’s inability to secure a smooth endorsement for his senatorial ticket ahead of the 2027 election cycle.
Political commentator Sallau Yahya noted that while a party heading into a competitive election cycle needs formidable mobilization networks, such machinery cannot function if key actors are enlisted without their consent.
Yahya explained that Goje’s deep-rooted grassroots influence is indispensable for party cohesion, warning that mere membership announcements will not bridge longstanding divisions without genuine political concessions.
