By Rayyanu Bala

In an interview with BBC Hausa Today Wednesday 26, August 2026, Senator Danjuma Goje bared his mind on his relationship with the APC and Governor of Gombe state, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, Despite what he described as the governor’s betrayal, he maintained that he remains a committed member of the APC in his Kashere Ward, his local government, and Gombe State.
He vowed that he would neither leave the APC nor engage in anti-party activities. According to him, the APC has done everything for him, and whatever differences or betrayal he has experienced will not make him work against the party at all levels.
Senator Goje also stressed that Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya was his political protégé and that he had served him when he was governor as a commissioner and he worked to make him a governor in Gombe. But he said that, as a Muslim, he considers what has happened to him as kaddara (destiny) and therefore holds no grudge against the governor.
The position taken by Senator Danjuma Goje is worth emulating, particularly by some politicians in Nasarawa State who view Governor Abdullahi Sule as someone who betrayed them. Even if they believe they have been betrayed, they should learn from Senator Goje’s approach and see the situation as an act of God rather than allowing it to destroy their loyalty to their political party.
Unfortunately, some politicians in Nasarawa State have reportedly resorted to anti-party activities, apparently as a way of paying Governor Sule back for what they perceive as his betrayal.
Politics is a game of interests, relationships, and, sometimes, disappointments. However, political disagreements should not necessarily lead to the destruction of long-standing relationships.
The reason I believe some of our politicians in Nasarawa State ought to emulate Danjuma Goje is that there are some politicians in Lafia who are reportedly saying that they will vote for the SDP in all the state elections but will support the APC when it comes to the presidential election.
To me, that position raises a simple question: What exactly does it mean to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu while deliberately rejecting his party at every other level?
Politics is, of course, about choices, and every voter has the constitutional right to vote for whichever candidate or party they believe in. Nobody should be forced to vote for a particular party. However, if the argument is that these people genuinely love and support President Tinubu, as they claim, then their proposed voting strategy is difficult to reconcile with that claim.
The APC is the political platform through which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu governs. Its senators, members of the House of Representatives, governors, state lawmakers, and councillors are part of the broader political structure that supports his administration. If you believe in the President’s vision and want his policies to succeed, it is reasonable to ask whether voting against his party at every other level can truly be described as an expression of love and loyalty.
Think about it this way: If you love the father but deliberately reject all his children, people may naturally wonder how deep that love really is. There is a Hausa proverb that captures this idea: “Mai son uba dole ya so ’ya’yansa,” roughly meaning, “One who loves the father should also love his children.”
Political loyalty is 100 percent; anything less is questionable. Therefore, supporting President Tinubu requires total loyalty to the APC at all levels. If you say you endorse Tinubu, then, by that logic, you must also endorse all the candidates contesting under the APC platform.
If someone says, “I support Tinubu, but I will vote against the APC in every other election,” then that person should be prepared to explain the contradiction. Is the support for President Tinubu based on his policies and performance, or is it simply false affection?
For me, genuine political support should come with consistency. If you believe the President is doing a good job and you want his programmes to succeed, then supporting candidates who share his political direction makes sense. On the other hand, if you believe the President deserves your vote but that his party’s candidates at other levels do not, then something is wrong with your claim of loving Tinubu.
You cannot sacrifice candidates contesting under President Tinubu’s platform and then turn around and say that you have love and affection for the President. That, in my view, is hypocrisy.
Those who are saying they will vote only for President Tinubu at the presidential election while voting for candidates from other parties at the state and legislative levels should understand that they may be doing a great disservice to the President.
The 2027 election is not only about personalities; it is also about the APC as a political platform. The opposition parties are not only challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; they are also challenging the APC as the platform through which his administration operates. These politicians should therefore understand that elections are not just about individuals; they are also about the political structures through which policies are implemented.
So, the real question for those who say they will vote APC for President and SDP for everything else is this: Can they truly claim to be supporting the President while systematically weakening the political platform through which he governs?
That is the question worth asking. They should have a clear understanding of how government and political parties actually work.
Danjuma Goje has a clear grasp of how government and political parties work. That is why, despite the unfortunate treatment he believes was meted out to him by Gombe Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, he has refused to be distracted. He has vowed to remain in the APC and work for all APC candidates, including the APC governorship candidate in Gombe State.