Nafiu Bala Gombe Claps Back at Kwankwaso: “I’m 46, Not 35 – Oldies Should Step Aside for Youths to Lead”

By Emmanuel Kwada

In a sharp and unsparing rebuttal, Nafiu Bala Gombe has hit back at Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, correcting claims about his age and accusing the former Kano State governor of behaving like an “APC mole” with no standing to meddle in the affairs of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Bala Gombe, who is at the centre of a raging leadership crisis in the ADC, declared that he is 46 years old, not 35 as allegedly stated by Kwankwaso. He challenged the senator to “conduct proper research” before making such assertions.

“Even if I were young, Kwankwaso has no right to look down on me,” Bala Gombe said. He reminded the veteran politician that he and many of today’s political heavyweights were themselves in their thirties when they assumed major public offices.

The fiery response continued with a blunt call for generational change. Bala Gombe urged Kwankwaso and other “oldies” in the political arena to emulate the opportunities they enjoyed in their youth by stepping aside and allowing younger leaders to take charge.

“They should allow youths to steer the affairs of our parties and the country while they play advisory roles,” he declared.

In what is likely to deepen the rift, Bala Gombe went further, labelling Kwankwaso “still an APC mole.”

He recalled how, ahead of the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar and other northern leaders mobilised Arewa elders to persuade Kwankwaso to step down in the interest of consolidating Arewa votes, but Kwankwaso refused.

“Having refused to step down then, he has no moral justification to bully or advise me on the injustice being done to me by impostors in the ADC,” Bala Gombe said.

He warned Kwankwaso to join the ADC through the proper channel if he wishes to participate in its affairs, and urged him to first familiarise himself with the party’s constitution.

Point-blank, Bala Gombe stated that Kwankwaso is not qualified to intervene in the current crisis because he does not regard him as a member of the ADC.

“I cannot be bullied by anyone,” he added defiantly.

The exchange underscores the deepening generational and factional tensions within Nigeria’s opposition politics, as younger leaders push back against what they see as interference by established figures.