APC Confident of Victory in Gombe LGAs’ Polls

By Auwal Ahmad Umar

Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will record a sweeping victory in the forthcoming local government elections scheduled for June 28, 2026, as the party formally presented flags to its chairmanship and councillorship candidates across the state.

Speaking during the flag presentation ceremony in Gombe, Governor Yahaya said the APC remained the dominant political force in the state and was determined to sustain its electoral successes at all levels.

According to him, the party’s growing influence is reflected in its representation across elective positions, noting that APC currently occupies all 24 seats allocated to the state in the House of Representatives.

“We are determined to repeat our electoral successes and retain all elective positions under the APC platform. Our strength lies in our unity, commitment and the confidence the people have in our leadership,” the governor said.

He stressed that the party’s objective was to maintain control of all local government councils and legislative seats, urging party members to remain focused and united ahead of the polls.

Governor Yahaya highlighted the role of the state’s 11 local government areas and 13 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in deepening grassroots governance, describing the initiative as a strategic step towards bringing government closer to the people.

He also used the occasion to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting critical infrastructure projects in the state, particularly the ongoing superhighway project aimed at improving connectivity across the North-East.

The governor noted that the project, recently inspected by Minister of Works David Umahi, would boost trade, create economic opportunities and improve the welfare of citizens across the region.

“We appreciate President Tinubu’s commitment to the development of Gombe State and the North-East. These projects are in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, which continues to inspire confidence among Nigerians,” he stated.

Yahaya further reaffirmed his support for the administration’s development agenda, saying its policies were already yielding visible results across various sectors.

Earlier, the National Chairman of the APC, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, lauded Governor Yahaya for what he described as remarkable achievements in infrastructure, education and social development.

The APC chairman said his visit to various parts of Gombe State gave him the opportunity to witness firsthand the impact of government projects on residents.

“I visited communities, institutions, universities, road projects and cultural centres. What I saw was democracy working for the people. The projects are touching lives and improving livelihoods across the state,” he said.

Professor Nentawe noted that market women, traders, farmers and other residents expressed confidence in the APC government, attributing the party’s popularity to its focus on development and service delivery.

He also praised President Tinubu for ongoing and planned federal infrastructure projects across Northern Nigeria, including major road corridors linking Akwanga, Jos, Bauchi, Gombe and Maiduguri.

According to him, the projects would strengthen regional integration, facilitate commerce and significantly reduce travel time across the region.

The APC National Chairman further highlighted plans for a railway network connecting Port Harcourt to Maiduguri through key northern cities, as well as gas infrastructure projects designed to stimulate industrial growth and improve energy access.

He urged Governor Yahaya and APC stakeholders to continue mobilising support for the party while remaining committed to delivering democratic dividends to the people.

Professor Nentawe also celebrated the APC’s recent electoral victories, insisting that the party’s strength derives from its close connection with ordinary Nigerians.

“APC remains firmly rooted among the people. Our success is based on good governance, development and our commitment to improving the lives of citizens,” he said.

The flag presentation ceremony attracted party leaders, elected officials, traditional rulers and supporters from across the state, as APC intensified preparations for the June 28 local government elections.

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.