Former communications minister Isa Pantami has submitted his nomination form for the Gombe governorship race, defying the All Progressives Congress’ consensus arrangement in the state.
Pantami’s supporters filed the form at the APC national headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, according to a statement shared by the former minister on X. The move comes days after the Gombe APC announced Jamilu Gwamna as its consensus candidate for the 2027 election during a stakeholders’ meeting led by Governor Inuwa Yahaya.
The party also ratified consensus picks for all senatorial, House of Representatives and state assembly seats.
Pantami’s support group, the Pantamiyya Movement, rejected the process, calling it a violation of the APC constitution, national party directives, and President Bola Tinubu’s instructions. Pantami echoed the stance in a BBC Hausa interview, describing the exercise as a “coronation” that breached the Electoral Act’s consensus rules.
He said the party should hold direct primaries and pledged to back whoever emerges through a transparent process.
“The contest is now fully underway,” his group said, adding that Gombe is set for “one of the most keenly contested primaries in recent political history.”
