PDP Aspirants in Gombe Oppose Alleged Pantami Defection
Four governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State have raised concerns over reports that former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, intends to defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest the PDP’s gubernatorial primary.
The aspirants — Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, Hon. Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, Hon. Usman Aliyu Garry, and Mrs Monica Kaltho — issued a joint communique stating that they are aware of rumours suggesting Pantami’s planned switch to the PDP with the sole aim of participating in the party’s primary election.
According to the communique, the aspirants argue that electoral law does not permit a candidate who has already contested in another party’s primary to later defect and compete in a different party’s primary within the same election cycle.
They emphasized that while they welcome genuine individuals into the PDP, they will resist any attempt to allow someone who has already participated in the APC governorship primaries (held on May 21, 2026) to join the PDP contest.
Call for Party Leadership to Uphold Rules
The aspirants urged the PDP leadership to avoid actions that could expose the party to legal challenges, warning that admitting Pantami could undermine the rule of law and trigger litigation from party members or opposition groups.
They also recalled their earlier agreement to let the party leadership select a single candidate from among them to fly the PDP flag in the forthcoming gubernatorial election, a decision made in deference to state party leaders, including former governor Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo.
A close associate of Pantami, speaking anonymously to Daily Trust, confirmed that the former minister is indeed planning to join the PDP ahead of the governorship primary election.
The aspirants concluded by stating that while they welcome every well‑meaning individual into the PDP, they strongly object to any attempt to involve such a person in the ongoing PDP gubernatorial primaries, which have already reached an advanced stage.
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