GOMBE, Nigeria — Fresh tension has erupted within the Gombe State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after governorship aspirant Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh rejected the emergence of Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.
The dispute followed Tuesday’s rescheduled PDP governorship primary, where Pantami, a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, was affirmed as the party’s flagbearer through a voice vote process.
Okay News reports that Saleh, speaking during a press briefing at his residence in Gombe, accused the party leadership at both state and national levels of sidelining aspirants who had properly purchased nomination forms and participated in the established process.
According to him, aspirants had initially prepared for the primary election scheduled for Sunday before the exercise was abruptly shifted to Tuesday without adequate explanation from party officials.
Saleh questioned the legitimacy of Pantami’s participation in the PDP primary, arguing that the former minister had remained involved in the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship selection process until shortly before the ruling party’s May 21 primary election.
He maintained that the development violated internal democratic principles and undermined loyal party members who had remained committed to the PDP throughout the process.
The aggrieved aspirant disclosed that his legal team had already been instructed to challenge Pantami’s emergence in court, while also urging his supporters to remain peaceful as the matter proceeds through legal channels.
Pantami recently defected from the APC following disagreements over the party’s adoption of Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna as its consensus governorship candidate in Gombe State.
