Gombe Airport Showdown: SDP Denounces Alleged Assault by State Government Forces

In a statement issued by the Director-General of Press Affairs at the Gombe Government House, Ismaila Misilli, the government dismissed the claims as “a lie from the pit of hell” and labeled them as unfounded propaganda. Misilli further stated, “The allegation of an altercation with His Excellency, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, is nothing but a fabricated story born from the depths of your wildest imagination.”

He emphasized, “There was absolutely no confrontation or assault at the airport involving the governor, absolutely none!” Misilli also warned the SDP against spreading false information, accusing the party of attempting to manipulate public opinion through baseless blackmail. “It is unfortunate that the SDP acting chairman in Gombe resorts to making up falsehoods to gain attention. We urge the public to disregard these misleading claims,” he added.

Misilli called on the opposition party to engage in constructive politics, urging them to focus on meaningful discourse rather than “divisive narratives and unnecessary drama.”

However, the SDP has maintained that the incident took place, asserting that the governor became aggressive during a flight from Gombe to Abuja. In a counter-statement, the SDP’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Muhammad Abdulkadir, accused Governor Yahaya of verbally attacking Modibbo and attempting physical assault.

“The attention of the SDP has been drawn to a misleading and baseless press statement issued by Ismaila Uba Misilli, the Director-General of Press Affairs to Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya,” Abdulkadir stated. “The statement, which seeks to downplay the unfortunate incident during the flight from Gombe to Abuja, is nothing but an attempt to distort the truth and mislead the public.”

The SDP further claimed that Modibbo had shown courtesy and respect to the governor during the flight but was met with hostility instead.