Tension is running high in Gombe State’s chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) after the party unveiled a consensus arrangement for the 2027 elections. Heavyweight aspirants, including Senator Danjuma Goje, former Ministers Isa Ali Pantami, and Senator Saidu Ahmed Alkali have disagreed with the outcome of the arrangement.
The controversy centres on two key decisions announced at the recent enlarged stakeholders’ meeting chaired by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya: the ‘adoption’ of Jamilu Ishaku Gwamna as the consensus governorship candidate and retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohammed Ahmadu Deba for the Gombe Central Senatorial seat currently held by Goje. Others adopted as senatorial candidates include Governor Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe North) and Jerry Damara (Gombe South).
Goje is a former governor and four-term senator who is seeking a fifth term. According to his aide, Barrister Saidu Muazu Kumo, the meeting was “not inclusive” and involved only the governor and a limited number of aspirants, excluding those who had purchased nomination forms.
Goje’s camp argues that the process violates Section 84 and 87 of the Electoral Act 2022, which require either direct primaries or a consensus agreed to in writing by all cleared aspirants.
Pantami’s supporters have been equally vocal. His “Pantamiyya Movement” described the exercise as a “coronation” that contradicts both the law and what they call President Tinubu’s directive against imposition.
Similarly, Senator Alkali, who resigned as Minister of Transport recently to be able to take part in the race, called the arrangement “undemocratic and arbitrary,” insisting that without unanimous written consent, the party must revert to direct primaries. Even former APC National Youth Leader Sadiq Shuaibu Abubakar warned that the move “undermines internal party democracy and disenfranchises the wider membership”.
The zoning dimension has added fuel. Goje hails from Akko LGA, which has held the Gombe Central seat since 2011. The consensus shifts it to Yamaltu-Deba LGA, a move Akko traditional rulers and leaders said was for “equity and fairness”. But Goje’s supporters see it as a deliberate attempt to push him out of the National Assembly.
The Gombe APC leadership however insists the process was legitimate and consultative. State Publicity Secretary Moses Kyari said the consensus followed extensive meetings with the Elders Committee, State Working Committee, and State Executive Committee, and that all aspirants were invited. He described objections from absent aspirants as “surprising and disingenuous”.
Kyari also stressed that consensus is not mandatory. “Where any aspirant disagrees, the party will proceed with the direct primary option,” he said, adding that the door remains open for dissatisfied aspirants to test their popularity. Governor Yahaya framed the move as an effort to heal a two-decade-long factional split in the party dating back to 2003.
Under the Electoral Act 2022, political parties can nominate candidates through direct primaries or consensus, but consensus is valid only if all aspirants voluntarily step down in writing. Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele recently reiterated that even with consensus, open endorsement at the ward level is required and no candidate can be imposed.
That’s where Gombe APC’s position looks vulnerable. If aspirants like Pantami, Goje, and Alkali formally reject the arrangement and demand direct primaries, the party may have little legal ground to stand on. The risk is a prolonged internal crisis that could fracture the APC ahead of 2027, especially with Pantami and Goje commanding significant grassroots structures.
While Governor Yahaya’s believes that his consensus will present a united front and avoid the rancour of a divisive primary, the optics of excluding influential figures like Pantami and Goje could backfire, both within the party and with voters.
For now, the APC is holding the line that consensus is a “preferred first option” to reduce conflict and costs. But with major aspirants signalling readiness to challenge the outcome, the real test will come when the party sets a date for direct primaries.
As a political analyst Mohammed Haruna noted, “It is ironic that the consensus, which is meant to prevent conflict, has actually triggered it.”
The coming days will show whether Gombe APC can reconcile these divisions or if the consensus will become the flashpoint for a wider party rebellion in the state.
