Gombe PDP backs INEC clearance of Pantami for 2027 governorship race
- The Gombe PDP says INEC has uploaded Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami's name to its portal for the 2027 governorship race.
- The party says his clearance widens the field and will make the contest more competitive for voters.
- The PDP also denied claims that two of its local government chairmen have defected to the APC.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State has welcomed the clearance of Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami to contest the 2027 governorship election, saying his entry will make the race more competitive.
The party said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has uploaded Pantami's name to its portal after a review found he met the requirements of the constitution and the Electoral Act. Pantami also holds the traditional title of Majidadin Daular Usmaniyya.
In a statement on Sunday, the Gombe PDP called the development a milestone for democracy and for the right of eligible Nigerians to seek office. The party said a wider field gives voters in the state a better chance to weigh their options before casting their ballots.
The PDP thanked supporters who prayed and offered advice while the clearance process was ongoing. It urged politicians in Gombe to run campaigns built on issues and to keep the peace, and asked INEC to stay neutral and deliver a credible election.
"The people of Gombe State deserve a credible electoral process in which their votes count and their collective aspirations are respected," the party said.
PDP rejects defection claim
In the same statement, the Gombe PDP denied that its chairmen in Kwami and Nafada Local Government Areas have joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party was responding to a claim by an APC chieftain at the inauguration of the APC State Campaign Council at the International Conference Centre in Gombe. The PDP said the two chairmen remain its members and have shown no interest in leaving.
It criticised the source of the claim, saying the false information came from someone who once held a national position in the PDP. The party warned the APC to stop spreading what it called falsehood about its officials, accusing it of using propaganda to win public sympathy.
The APC has not responded to the PDP's statement in the reports reviewed.
What happens next
With Pantami's name now on INEC's portal, attention turns to how the parties in Gombe build their campaigns ahead of 2027. The defection dispute is likely to continue, with the APC yet to react publicly to the PDP's denial.
