Tinubu’s Reforms Restoring Economic Stability Despite Short-Term Pain—Inuwa Yahaya

By Jamila Muhammad

The Governor of Gombe State and Secretary of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA), Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has strongly defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms, insisting that the administration’s bold policy direction is already laying a solid foundation for national recovery despite current economic pressures.

Speaking at the opening of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors’ Retreat in Abuja, the governor said the reform agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is beginning to show early signs of progress, especially in fiscal discipline, investor confidence, and institutional rebuilding.

The retreat brought together political leaders, grassroots mobilisers, civic engagement advocates, and party loyalists under the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA) movement—a nationwide platform created to improve public understanding of government policies and connect reformers and citizens ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Describing President Tinubu as a courageous leader, Inuwa Yahaya said the administration chose the difficult but necessary path of confronting long-standing structural weaknesses in Nigeria’s economy rather than avoiding painful reforms for political convenience.

“Mr President has undertaken bold reforms that many leaders before him avoided. These reforms have been difficult, requiring enormous sacrifice. But they are already bearing fruits in the form of a more disciplined fiscal environment, renewed investor confidence and the steady rebuilding of our national institutions,” he said.

According to him, while Nigerians may be experiencing short-term hardship, the reforms remain essential for correcting years of economic distortions, unsustainable spending, and inefficiencies that have hindered national development.

The governor also raised concern over what he described as a coordinated misinformation campaign aimed at undermining public trust in the administration’s achievements.

“We must never allow the opposition to define the narrative. Our job is to meet falsehood with facts, despair with data and cynicism with undeniable evidence of progress,” he added.

He urged members of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors to intensify grassroots sensitisation efforts, stressing the importance of communicating government policies in simple and relatable language across communities nationwide.

Inuwa Yahaya noted that many Nigerians are yet to fully understand the long-term benefits of the ongoing reforms, adding that effective communication will be critical to sustaining public support ahead of the 2027 polls.

He further described the RHA as a strategic political engine that will play a central role in mobilising citizens and strengthening support for the Renewed Hope Agenda as the next general election approaches.

As the 2027 general election approaches, Nigeria is facing a time-sensitive challenge. Mobilisation is the engine that will power our Renewed Hope Agenda to victory and beyond,” he said.

Also speaking at the retreat, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, urged members of the movement to remain disciplined and focused in communicating government achievements, stressing the importance of clarity and truth in public engagement.

He said the Renewed Hope Ambassadors carry the responsibility of ensuring that citizens are properly informed about government policies rather than being influenced by misinformation.

Similarly, the director-general of the RHA and governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, emphasised the importance of structured grassroots mobilisation, stating that political success depends on organisation, strategy, and consistent engagement with the electorate.

“We must organise to win and not merely hope to win,” Uzodinma stated.

He urged members of the movement to extend the Renewed Hope message to all 774 local government areas, wards, and polling units across the country, adding that the task of rebuilding trust between government and citizens requires continuous dialogue and feedback.

The retreat is expected to produce new communication frameworks and mobilisation strategies aimed at strengthening public engagement, deepening support for the Tinubu administration, and consolidating the APC’s political structure nationwide ahead of 2027.

Gombe PDP Governorship Aspirants Warn Against Allowing Pantami Into Primaries

By Auwal Ahmad Umar

Four governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party in Gombe State have cautioned the party leadership against any alleged move to allow former APC governorship aspirant Isa Ali Pantami to participate in the party’s ongoing governorship primaries.

The aspirants warned that such a decision could violate democratic principles and expose the party to serious legal challenges ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

The warning was contained in a communiqué jointly signed by Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, Hon. Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, Usman Aliyu Garry and Monica Kaltho on May 24, 2026.

According to the aspirants, they had earlier agreed to allow the leadership of the party to choose one among them as the consensus governorship candidate in the interest of unity and party stability.

They explained that the decision was reached out of respect for the leadership of former governor and PDP leader in the state, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, as well as the State Executive Committee, local government party chairmen and members of the Elders Committee.

The communiqué stated that all the aspirants signed a written undertaking committing themselves to abide by the final decision of the party leadership regarding the emergence of the governorship candidate.

However, the aspirants expressed concern over reports alleging that Pantami, who participated in the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress on May 21, 2026, was making efforts to defect to the PDP in order to contest in its governorship primaries.

They argued that the law does not permit an aspirant who had already contested and secured votes in another party’s primary election to switch parties and participate in the same electoral process elsewhere.

While acknowledging that the PDP remains open to welcoming new members, the aspirants maintained that any such defection should not interfere with a primary process that is already at an advanced stage.

They further urged the party leadership to avoid actions capable of undermining the rule of law or creating avoidable legal disputes that could affect the party’s chances in the forthcoming election.

The aspirants warned that failure to handle the situation carefully could trigger litigation from aggrieved party members and opposition parties.

“As the saying goes, a stitch in time saves nine,” the communiqué concluded.

APC Primary Committee Declares Gombe Senatorial Polls Credible, Transparent

By Auwal Umar, Gombe

The All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election committee in Gombe State has described the party’s 2026 senatorial primary elections as peaceful, transparent and credible, declaring Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, retired DCP Mohammed Ahmed and Jerry Joseph Damara as winners in their respective districts.

The chairman of the committee, Mallam Labiru Musa Kafur, stated this on Tuesday during a press briefing on the official outcome of the APC senatorial primaries conducted across the state on Monday.

Mr Kafur stated that the exercise followed the National Working Committee’s directives for a direct primary system, allowing grassroots members to participate directly.

“The exercise across all 11 local government areas was remarkably peaceful, orderly and harmonious, serving as a testament to the democratic maturity of our party faithful,” he said.

According to him, strict accreditation measures were introduced to ensure transparency and credibility throughout the exercise.

“The committee enforced a thorough and mandatory voter accreditation process beginning at 8:00 a.m. at designated ward centers. Voting eligibility was strictly tied to the presentation of a valid APC membership card,” he said.

Mr Kafur added that the measure helped to protect the integrity of the election and prevent infiltration by non-members.

Announcing the results, he said Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya emerged as the APC candidate for the Gombe North Senatorial District after securing 131,009 affirmation votes.

For Gombe Central Senatorial District, retired DCP Mohammed Ahmed polled 89,415 valid votes to emerge as the winner, while Jerry Joseph Damara secured 56,687 votes to clinch the party’s ticket for Gombe South Senatorial District.

Mr Kafur stated that designated returning officers made the official declarations at the various zonal collation centres immediately after the conclusion of collation.

“Having satisfied all necessary requirements and scored the highest number of valid votes cast in their respective districts, these winners were rightfully declared on the field immediately after collation,” he said.

“The committee fully stands by these decentralised field declarations which confirm them as the official flag bearers of the APC for the upcoming elections,” he added.

The committee chairman commended the Gombe State government, party leaders, security agencies and journalists for ensuring what he described as a credible democratic process.

“We extend our profound appreciation to the executive governor of Gombe State, the state party leadership, security agencies and members of the press for ensuring a transparent, highly credible and world-class democratic exercise,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the peaceful conduct of the primaries would strengthen unity within the party ahead of the general elections.