Gombe State, Nigeria - The four gubernatorial aspirants under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State have firmly rejected an alleged attempt to bring Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami into the party to contest the primary election. The aspirants argue that the law does not permit a candidate to switch parties and contest the same electoral process after votes have already been cast and counted in his favor in another party's primaries.
Emergency Meeting Yields Strong Stance
The aggrieved aspirants, identified as Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, Hon. Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, Hon. Usman Aliyu Garry, and Mrs. Monica Kaltho, issued a communique following an emergency meeting held on Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Gombe. The statement strongly objects to any attempt to involve a person who has already participated in primaries under a different political party.
According to reports from Daily Trust, the communique reads: "Following the rumoured attempt by an aspirant, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, who participated in the recently concluded governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to defect to the PDP with the sole aim of contesting in our party's governorship primaries, we deem it necessary to make our position known."
Condemnation of Alleged Smuggling Attempt
The aspirants further stated: "We therefore condemn in the strongest terms the alleged attempt to smuggle into the PDP primaries an aspirant who, by law and established democratic principles, is ineligible to participate, having already contested in the APC governorship primaries held on May 21, 2026."
The group emphasized that existing laws bar candidates from switching parties mid-election process, and they called on party leadership to uphold democratic principles and ensure a level playing field for all aspirants. The development comes amid heightened political activities in Gombe State as parties prepare for the upcoming governorship election.
