Former Gombe State Governor and Senator representing Gombe Central, Danjuma Goje, has denied reports that he is planning to defect from the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Goje made the clarification on Saturday while addressing his supporters at his residence in Gombe, amid speculation over his political future following his loss of the APC senatorial ticket.

SEE MORE: 2027: Uzodimma Gives Imo APC 32 Buses, Demands 100% Victory

The former governor said he was consulting with political stakeholders and would announce his next political move at the appropriate time.

He urged his supporters to remain loyal to the party’s leaders and disregard what he described as attempts to mislead them.

“Do not listen to betrayers, go home, prepare, be loyal to our party leaders and wait for my final order,” Goje said.

He further stated, “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.”

The development comes after Goje’s name was omitted from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections.

Goje had contested the APC senatorial primary for Gombe Central but lost the party’s ticket to another aspirant. Reports from the primary indicated that Mohammed Ahmed emerged as the APC candidate for the district.

His supporters had earlier rejected the party’s consensus arrangement that replaced him as the proposed candidate, with his camp questioning the process.

The situation has fuelled speculation about Goje’s next political move, particularly amid reports of overtures from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party to offer him its senatorial ticket.

Despite the speculation, Goje has not announced any decision to leave the APC, insisting that he is still consulting stakeholders before taking a position.

Goje served as governor of Gombe State from 2003 to 2011 and was elected to the Senate in 2011. He was re-elected in 2023 for a fourth term representing Gombe Central.

With his name absent from the 2027 senatorial candidates’ list, political attention is now focused on whether Goje will remain in the APC, support another candidate or eventually move to another political platform.

For now, the former governor has asked his supporters to remain calm, loyal and ready for his “final order.”

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has presented 32 buses to leaders of the All Progressives Congress in the state to boost grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Uzodimma presented the vehicles on Saturday at the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Conference Centre, where he charged the party to secure a 100 per cent victory in Imo, insisting that anything less would be unacceptable.

SEE ALSO: Police Summon AIG Moshood Jimoh, Invite VDM Over Explosive Allegations

The 32 buses comprise 27 vehicles for APC Local Government Area chairmen, three for the party’s zonal chairmen, and one each for the state women and youth leaders.

Speaking at the event, Uzodimma said the APC had enough achievements to campaign for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, expressing confidence that even opposition supporters would vote for the President.

“We have the material to campaign because President Bola Tinubu has done tremendously well. Even our opponents will vote for President Tinubu,” Uzodimma said.

The governor said the party must deliver a complete victory in the state in the 2027 elections.

“Imo is APC and APC is Imo. We will deliver 100 per cent. 99.9 per cent will be unacceptable,” he noted.

Uzodimma also urged those who regarded themselves as his friends to demonstrate their support by voting for the APC and Tinubu.

“If you are my friend, the only way you can let me know you are my friend is when you vote for APC and support President Tinubu,” he said.

According to the governor, the vehicles were provided to strengthen the APC at the grassroots and enable party leaders to take its message to communities across the state.

“Today we want to support our party chairmen for the tasks ahead. If you say that party is supreme, this is the time,” he said.

Uzodimma, however, cautioned the beneficiaries against using the buses for purposes outside party mobilisation.

“Please use the vehicles for the party. It is important that the vehicles must be used to work for the party,” he added.

The APC State Chairman, Austin Onyedebelu, thanked the governor for the gesture, saying the buses would help the party expand its reach across communities in Imo.

Onyedebelu pledged that the party would work towards delivering all APC candidates, from the President to candidates contesting seats in the state Houses of Assembly.

The APC South-East Zonal Vice Chairman, Ijeoma Arodiogbu, also commended Uzodimma for providing the buses, describing him as “a man of grace.”

Arodiogbu urged party officials to deploy the vehicles effectively for grassroots mobilisation, warning that excuses would not be tolerated as the party prepares for the 2027 elections.

The 32 buses are expected to be deployed across Imo’s 27 local government areas as the APC intensifies its mobilisation ahead of the elections.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State has received more than 11,000 new members from various political parties, but the development has been overshadowed by the absence of several prominent party leaders at the reception held in Azare.

The event, which took place at the Azare Township Stadium on Saturday, was organised to formally welcome the defectors into the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking at the event, the APC state chairman, Alhaji Hassan Mohammed Tilde, said more than 150,000 people had recently joined the party across Bauchi State.

ALSO READ: 2027 Race Begins as APC Completes 100% Candidate Upload to INEC

He described the growing membership as evidence of the APC’s increasing popularity in the state and expressed confidence that the party would emerge victorious in the 2027 elections.

Among those formally received into the party were Yusuf Mohammed Bako, a former member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and African Democratic Congress (ADC); Hassana Arkila, who defected from the APM; and Hajiya Zainab Baban Takko, a former member of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

The APC governorship running mate, Dr Farouk Mustapha, presented the directory containing the names of the new members to the party’s state leader and Minister of Health, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate.

Mustapha said the list would subsequently be forwarded to the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda.

Describing his return to the APC as a return to familiar political territory, Mustapha expressed optimism that the party would win all elective positions in Bauchi State in 2027.

However, the gathering was notable for the absence of several influential APC figures, including former Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; former Bauchi State Governor and Renewed Hope Ambassador/Coordinator for the North-East, Mallam Isa Yuguda; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara; and governorship aspirants Alhaji Nura Manu Soro and Bala Maijama’a Wunti.

No official explanation was immediately given for their absence.

However, some party members and insiders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, linked the development to lingering disagreements over internal party democracy and the processes surrounding the selection of candidates for the 2027 elections.

Some members also alleged irregularities during recent party primaries, claiming that election materials were not distributed to some polling units and that certain voters were not adequately informed about the exercise.

The alleged grievances have triggered calls for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, to intervene and reconcile aggrieved members and aspirants.

Party stakeholders warned that failure to resolve the disputes could undermine the APC’s recent membership gains and weaken its prospects in the 2027 elections.

While the influx of new members represents a significant boost to the APC’s political structure in Bauchi, the reported leadership disagreements could pose a challenge to the party’s efforts to consolidate its position ahead of the 2027 polls.