2027: APC chieftain defends emergence of Gombe Central senatorial candidate

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Zach Hyellamada, has defended the emergence of retired Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Ahmed, as the party’s senatorial candidate for Gombe Central, insisting that the outcome of the primary election was legitimate and reflected the will of party members.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Hyellamada dismissed reports suggesting that the result of the APC primary election conducted on May 18 remains controversial.

He said Ahmed secured a clear victory in the exercise, polling about 42,785 votes against 10,425 votes garnered by former Governor of Gombe State and serving Senator, Danjuma Goje.

“The APC primary held on May 18, 2026, was not symbolic or ceremonial. It was a structured direct primary involving party members across Gombe Central,” Hyellamada said.

“At the end of the exercise, Mohammed Ahmed emerged with a decisive mandate, polling approximately 42,785 votes against Senator Danjuma Goje’s 10,425 votes. That margin alone settles the question of legitimacy.”

According to him, the outcome of the election was duly declared through official party channels and remains valid, having not been overturned by any competent authority.

“There is no official annulment, no court decision overturning the outcome, and no procedural reversal by the APC,” he stated.

Hyellamada described reports of dissatisfaction over the primary as the reaction of political interests struggling to come to terms with an unexpected outcome.

“What is being circulated as ‘disquiet’ is simply the predictable reaction of a long-standing political establishment confronting an outcome it did not shape,” he said.

Speaking on the political mood within the district, the APC chieftain argued that the primary result reflected a growing desire among party members for a fresh direction.

“The outcome of the APC primary reflects a broader political reality within Gombe Central,” he said.

He added that Ahmed’s professional background had endeared him to many party faithful seeking a departure from conventional political leadership.

“DCP Mohammed Ahmed represents that shift. His background in law enforcement and structured public service aligns with a party base increasingly looking beyond traditional political figures,” he said.

Hyellamada also rejected allegations that Ahmed was imposed on the party, maintaining that the primary was democratic, transparent and widely participatory.

“The claim that Mohammed Ahmed was imposed is not supported by the structure or outcome of the primary.

“The process was a direct primary involving party members, votes were openly cast and collated across the district, and the result showed a wide and decisive margin,” he said.

He described the development in the Gombe APC as a normal political transition rather than evidence of internal crisis.

“What is unfolding in Gombe APC is not a legitimacy crisis. It is a political transition driven by internal party choice.

“The emergence of DCP Mohammed Ahmed is the product of a structured electoral process that reflected the preference of party members on the ground. Attempts to reframe that outcome as controversy do not change the facts of the vote,” he stated.

Hyellamada maintained that the figures recorded during the primary remain the strongest indication of the wishes of APC members in Gombe Central.

“In the end, the numbers remain the most reliable statement of political reality,” he added.