With the array of prominent politicians that participated in the recently concluded primary elections for political parties, intrigues deployed and the level of suspense at every stage, the process has turned out to be one of the most keenly contested in recent times. Observers said no less was expected in a race that a sitting president, a former vice president, sitting and former governors; ministers; senators; retired Inspectors-General of Police; House of Representatives and state assembly members and others participated. Others who made the primary stand out include those who have been known to have consistently won elections in the past but lost; those who switched parties due to fear of losing but failed to make it, and those whose presence electrified the space with sheer razzmatazz but could not brace the tape. Somehow, the process did not favour many who lost out despite their popularity, intimidating structures, closeness to the powers-that-be, huge investments, clout and experience. Weekend Trust observed that even after failing to make it beyond the primary however, people are still interested in knowing the direction their next political journeys would go, especially in the preparation for the general elections, which come up in January and February next year. There are some of them like Mohammed Danjuma Goje, former governor of Gombe State, who has been a minister, two-term governor and five times in the Senate, whose loss in the primaries actually surprised many. Given his clout and influence in the politics of Gombe State, many are wondering if the former governor would play active role in returning the presidential candidate of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), its governorship candidate in Gombe State, Jamilu Gwamna, who was single-handedly imposed by the governor, Inuwa Yahaya and others. There is also the case of former Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, who reportedly committed so much in the bid to win the APC ticket for Nasarawa but lost the chance when the governor, Abdulahi Sule decided on Aliyu Wadada as a consensus candidate. Weekend Trust looks deeper into what role such prominent aspirants would be playing ahead of the general elections and subsequently. Gombe: Pressure on Goje to join PDP There is pressure on the former governor of Gombe State, Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje, who lost in the APC senatorial primary, to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) next week to vie for a record fifth term at the National Assembly. Goje has been representing the Gombe Central senatorial district since 2011 after his two terms as governor of the state. However, after a direct primary election conducted by the APC in May, DCP Mohammed Ahmed (retd) was declared the duly elected candidate for the senatorial district seat. Goje had in a statement issued through his special assistant, Ahmed Isa Kashere, disputed the outcome of the senatorial primary election, describing the result announced by Dr Dahiru as fake and saying the authentic results would be released in Abuja. However, with his name not on the list of successful candidates of the National Assembly released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last Saturday, Goje was said to be considering a move to the PDP in order to retain his seat at the National Assembly. Both the PDP and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) were said to be scouting for Goje. A source from Goje’s camp told our correspondent that the former governor would formally announce his decision soon. He is said to have been offered the PDP ticket for Gombe Central, won by Aliyu Hammadu Abubakar (Kangiwan Gombe), who is said to have willingly agreed to step down for him. Goje was among the founding fathers of the PDP in 1998. He served as minister of state for power and steel during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s first tenure. He subsequently served as a two-term governor of Gombe State on the party’s platform. He joined the APC in 2014 and helped the party to wrest power from the PDP in 2019. However, the relationship between him and his political godson, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya went sour, which led to Goje’s defeat at the APC primary election last May. Reports of Alkali lobbying for return to ministerial position On his part, a former minister of transportation who resigned to contest the APC governorship ticket in Gombe, Senator Sa’idu Ahmed Alkali, has kept his next political move since he lost the ticket of the party close to his chest. However, there are reports that Alkali is lobbying to return to his former position as minister, a seat he resigned from in April. He is said to be lobbying to return to the ministerial position through Vice President Kashim Shettima, who is his friend and was said to have played a vital role in his earlier nomination for the position. Prior to the election, Alkali announced his withdrawal from the race, citing gross injustice, lack of internal de
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