Controversy Trails Goje Absence At APC, Tinubu Campaigns In Gombe

There are indications that former governor of Gombe State and incumbent Senator representing Gombe Central at the National Assembly, Senator Danjuma Goje, had pitched his tent with presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the forthcoming general election as he was missing at the APC rally in Gombe.

Goje who is the APC senatorial candidate for Gombe Central, LEADERSHIP Friday gathered, is said to be clandestinely working for Atiku against his party’s presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Senator Goje was reportedly at loggerheads with the state governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, a development that led to a reconciliation of the duo by party national leaders during the APC primaries.

Goje had promised to work with the leadership of the party under Governor Inuwa in Gombe State, but as soon as he was given the APC senatorial ticket he started reneging on the agreement, with his associates working against the governor.

It became glaring that the former governor was not working for his party when on Monday, he was conspicuously absent at the APC presidential campaign rally in Gombe, his home state.

At the rally were APC bigwigs, including the state governor, the APC presidential candidate, Tinubu; his running mate Kashim Shettima; APC national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu; president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan; Senator Ali Modu Sheriff; governors of Yobe, Borno, Jigawa and Plateau, among others.

It was also learnt that Senator Goje was absent in all local APC campaign rally personally led by Governor Inuwa in Gombe State.

“He was also absent at the inauguration of the state’s APC Campaign Council and flag off of campaign rallies performed by the national chairman,  Sen. Abdullahi Adamu,” a source in the APC told our correspondent.

But his absence at the Tinubu rally in Gombe on Monday has raised concern within the APC national hierarchy after it was reported that Goje may be working with Atiku in order to truncate APC’s victory at both national and state levels.

Meanwhile, efforts to speak to the media of Governor Yahaya proved abortive, as his director general of Press Affairs, Ismaila Misilli declined to comment on the matter.

Attempt to get Senator Goje to react unsuccessful at the time of filing this report did not turn out, as text messages sent to the mobile numbers of his media aide were not replied.