Former Gombe State Governor and Senator representing Gombe Central, Danjuma Goje, has denied reports that he has defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite his exclusion from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
Goje, who has represented Gombe Central in the Senate since 2011, said he was consulting with political stakeholders before deciding on his next political move.
The former governor spoke on Saturday while addressing supporters at his residence in Gombe, urging them to remain calm, loyal to the party’s leadership and prepared for further directives from him.
“Do not listen to betrayers, go home, prepare, be loyal to our party leaders and wait for my final order,” Goje told his supporters.
He added, “I am not defecting to any party now. However, I am consulting stakeholders, but I promise I will be with my supporters with or without a Senate ticket.”
His comments come amid heightened speculation over his political future after he lost the APC senatorial ticket for Gombe Central and was subsequently omitted from INEC’s final list of candidates for the 2027 elections.
The development has also fuelled reports of overtures from opposition politicians, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has reportedly shown interest in offering Goje its senatorial ticket.
INEC’s final list, released earlier in August, did not include Goje among the candidates contesting the Gombe Central senatorial seat.
Goje had participated in the APC senatorial primary but lost the party’s ticket to Mohammed Ahmed, who emerged as the party’s candidate for the district.
The development followed an earlier consensus arrangement within the APC that supporters of Goje rejected. His camp also questioned the process through which he was replaced as the proposed candidate.
Despite the political uncertainty, Goje has maintained that he has not decided to leave the APC. He said he was consulting stakeholders and would announce his position at the appropriate time.
Goje served as governor of Gombe State from 2003 to 2011 before returning to the Senate, where he was re-elected in 2023 for a fourth term representing Gombe Central.
With his name absent from the 2027 senatorial candidates’ list, attention is now focused on his next move and whether he will remain in the APC, support another candidate or seek another political platform.
For now, the former governor has urged his supporters to remain patient and await his “final order.”
