GOMBE 2027: Pantami rejects APC consensus choice, vows legal battle against ‘injustice’
The political atmosphere in Gombe State has taken a turbulent turn as former minister of communications and digital economy, Isa Ali Pantami, officially challenged the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) consensus governorship candidate for the 2027 elections.
In a scathing reaction to the party’s decision, Pantami described the process that produced Dr. Jamilu Isiyaku Gwamna as “flawed” and a direct violation of both party guidelines and the 2026 Electoral Act.
The controversy erupted following an announcement by the incumbent Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, naming Gwamna as the preferred successor after a stakeholders’ meeting. However, Pantami, speaking with BBC Hausa, argued that the arrangement failed to meet the basic legal and ethical definitions of a “consensus.”
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“By God’s truth, in terms of justice, what happened in Gombe State cannot be called a consensus. Consensus means that everyone agrees,” Pantami stated.
He outlined three critical conditions for a legitimate consensus that he claims were ignored.
He said that must be personal agreement where all aspirants must personally consent to the outcome or, where they are absent, aspirants must have authorized representatives present, while the agreement must strictly adhere to the law.
Allegations of procedural foul play
Pantami further alleged that the process was shrouded in secrecy and lacked transparency. According to the former minister, a previous meeting with Governor Yahaya had ended with a promise of fairness and the possibility of a direct primary if a consensus could not be reached.
“As part of the consensus process, guidelines were supposed to be drafted, but none of us ever saw them,” he revealed. He also noted that an independent, neutral committee should have overseen the selection to ensure zero bias.
The Professor also raised concerns over the timing of the stakeholders’ meeting, claiming aspirants were given less than 20 hours’ notice.
Pantami claims his team sent a written request for more time to ensure they could attend and witness the fairness of the proceedings.
While the meeting was moved to Sunday, Pantami asserts that aspirants were never informed that a final, binding decision would be reached that day.
A call for direct primaries
Positioning himself as a candidate of the people, Pantami challenged the party leadership to conduct a direct primary, suggesting that the current move stems from a fear of the grassroots.
“Those who fear direct primaries in Nigeria do so because they lack grassroots support,” he said. “Anyone who is prepared and knows the masses and party members are behind him has nothing to fear.”
The former minister concluded with a stern warning to the party leadership, vowing to contest the decision through all available legal channels.
“What we demand is fairness. If injustice is done, we will fight it to the highest level. You will witness a struggle against injustice unlike any seen before in Nigeria,” he declared.
The APC leadership in Gombe is yet to issue a formal response to Professor Pantami’s grievances.
