From Gombe with love: Goje’s Sudden romance with the marginalised North East

After nearly two decades in the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly, Senator Danjuma Goje has finally stumbled upon a remarkable revelation: the North East exists.

Yes, dear compatriots, the same Goje who has spent years navigating the intricate corridors of power in Abuja has suddenly found the path, perhaps paved with political survival instincts, back home to Gombe and beyond.

In what can only be described as a Damascus moment on the floor of the Senate, Goje recently voiced a thunderous critique of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, alleging systematic segregation of the North East from strategic projects and, of course, the corridors of the “renewed hope” agenda.

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It was a passionate plea, no doubt, the kind that would bring a tear to the eye, if not for the oddly selective timing.

One would be forgiven for forgetting that this is the same Senator Goje who served two terms as Gombe State governor and then nestled comfortably in the Senate since 2011, switching political parties with the fluid grace of a ballroom dancer.
Senator Goje was part of the nine senators who defected from the People’s Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress in 2014.

In all that time, his voice, when it was heard at all, rarely trembled with righteous indignation for the Northeast. But now? Now, the senator has found his voice, and it’s singing an anti-Tinubu ballad in a key the opposition might appreciate.

Goje, at a press conference last week where he led some other North East lawmakers, lamented the exclusion of the region from the Federal Government’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme, describing the development as unjust and worrisome.

He said, “On Tuesday, April 8, 2025, His Excellency, the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, GCON, in Kaduna State, flagged off the construction of Phase 1 of the SAPZ as part of the present administration’s plan to industrialise Nigeria’s agricultural sector and create sustainable jobs.

“Seven states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been selected for the programme.

“The North West and South West have two processing zones each – Kaduna, Kano, Ogun, and Oyo states. The South South, South East and North Central have one processing zone each.”

Goje lamented, “Despite its enormous agricultural potential, the North East is conspicuously missing from the list of states allocated the processing zones.”

Barely 24 hours after the emergency press conference, Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, described the allegations by the North East National Assembly Caucus as “misinformed.”

The minister, who went down memory lane to trace the commencement of SAPZ in Nigeria, pointed out that in the first phase of the programme, only eight states indicated interest in participating.

Kyari explained, “This project is a Federal Government-enabled initiative with subscription by the State Governments of the Federation.
“Therefore, all State Governments were expected to individually express interest in the programme.”

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On the selection process, the minister explained that in 2019, each state governor was notified in writing to express interest, with attached eligibility criteria that would enable them to participate in phase one of the programme.

He added that upon receipt of their expressions of interest, a joint team comprising the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Federal Ministry of Finance, and the Development Finance Institution, in this case, the African Development Bank, conducted a mission to each of the states to verify the fulfillment of the eligibility criteria as part of the selection process.

He added, “At this stage, only eight states, namely Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Imo, Cross River, and Federal Capital Territory, were qualified to participate.”

At the press conference, a journalist asked Senator Goje why they didn’t devise an internal mechanism to speak to the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, since he is also from the North East.

He swiftly responded that the Vice President was carrying out an assignment by the President, and it is the President who should be addressed.

The swiftness in exonerating Shettima could rival the speed of lightning.

Apparently, the lawmakers didn’t even do their homework before Senator Goje led them to go public with their comments.
It would be easier to take him seriously if this love affair with the North East hadn’t bloomed just after his perceived political irrelevance under Tinubu’s government became glaring.

Let’s not forget: this is the same Goje who, in the last administration, was more known for his strategic evasiveness than his legislative activism.
He famously stepped down from the Senate Presidency race in 2019 in what insiders whispered was a brokered deal after a villa tête-à-tête.

Then he spent most of his time aligning with whoever held the reins at Aso Rock, until now.

His newfound North East nationalism feels a little too much like a man trying to rewrite his legacy before the final curtain call.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with pointing out marginalization. In fact, it is one of the Senate’s nobler duties. But it’s the convenient amnesia that irks.

Goje’s recent speeches would have had more impact if they weren’t dripping with the sweet syrup of self-preservation.
Early in July 2024, Goje decried the exclusion of the North East from the Renewed Hope road projects across the country.

Goje, under Point of Order 42, moved the motion titled: Renewed Hope Legacy Road Infrastructure Projects: The Need to Include the North-East Geo-Political Zone in the Projects.

He noted the public service announcement made via various print and social media platforms on June 28 by the Federal Ministry of Works, inviting stakeholders to participate in public engagements regarding the Renewed Hope Legacy Road Infrastructure Projects across the country.

The former minister added, “These landmark projects, which are made up of the Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway (SBS), connecting Sokoto (North-West) to Badagry (South-West); Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway (LCCH) (South-South); and Calabar–Ebonyi–Benue–Kogi–Nasarawa–Abuja Superhighway (South-East and North-Central, respectively), were designed in line with the current administration’s commitment towards actualising the vision of making Nigeria the largest economy in Africa.

“However, the North-East is the only zone not included in these laudable projects.”

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Also, on February 13, Goje, during plenary, expressed concerns about excluding the North East zone from the N4.2 trillion road project approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on February 3.

Goje stated that “the North-East received only two projects: the Yola–Fufore–Gurin Road (N11.81 billion) and the Lamido Road in Taraba State (N7.68 billion), leaving many other critical roads in the region in poor condition.”

He lamented that “the North-East remains the only region excluded from the administration’s flagship superhighway project, emphasizing the economic impact of neglected infrastructure.”

It’s also quite telling that he was part of the 2025 budget defense sessions where these lopsided allocations could have been challenged early.

The senator’s sudden activism has sparked whispers in political circles, some calling it a rebranding attempt for a 2027 return, others suggesting it’s a veiled protest over being sidelined from eating at the king’s table like in past administrations.

Either way, what is certain is that Goje has joined the chorus of northern elders and lawmakers who remember their roots only when their Abuja roots begin to wither.

In the end, one can only hope this passion isn’t another performance on the Senate floor, destined to fade with the camera lights.

Because if there’s one thing the North East truly needs, it’s not another crocodile tear from Abuja, it’s genuine advocacy backed by consistent action, not convenient outrage.
At the SAPZ press conference, a journalist asked Senator Goje if his previous appeals like the road project, had been attended to.

He said he wouldn’t want the issue to be muddled up; besides, the Federal Government was working on it.
The revelation by Goje was a rare one, as we are yet to get an announcement from the centre that new road projects, particularly in the North East, are being commissioned.

Until then, we’ll keep watching, popcorn in hand, as Senator Goje continues his late-career pilgrimage to political relevance, on the back of a region he only just remembered to care about.