- Safiu Kehinde
Former Minister for Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, has rejected the emergence of Jamilu Gwamna as the All Progressives Congress (APC) consensus candidate for the 2027 Gombe Governorship Election.
Pantami who is also an aspirant in the race for the governorship ticket labelled the consensus invalid and as other aspirants were not involved in the process.
The ex-Minister made this known in a statement issued on Sunday by Prof. Suleiman Mohammed, the coordinator of his support group, the Pantamiyya Movement.
While suing for calm among his supporters, Pantami held that the consensus candidacy is a total disregard for the provisions of the law.
He maintained that it violated the 2026 Nigeria Electoral Act.
While consensus is outline as one of the two modes of nomination, Pantami explained that a candidate under the mode can only emerge if all cleared aspirants provide written consent to step down.
But in a case where one aspirant refuses, the party must revert to a direct primary.
“Legally, there can be no valid consensus without involving the aspirants who have obtained or completed their expression of interest and nomination forms.
“We advise all our supporters to remain calm and law-abiding. However, the total disregard for the provisions of the law cannot be ignored by us.
“The Nigeria Electoral Act, 2026, outlines the modes of nomination in Section 84 (2): Political parties are restricted to only two methods for selecting candidates in which coronation is not among them.
“The two methods are: 1) Consensus: A candidate may emerge if all cleared aspirants provide written consent to step down. If even one aspirant refuses, the party must revert to a direct primary.
“Direct Primaries: Every registered party member has the right to vote directly for their preferred aspirant.” The statement partly read.
The ex-minister further stressed that the consensus violated the directive of the APC and the instruction of President Bola Tinubu.
He however charged his supporters to prepare for the direct primaries, noting that his legal team are currently working to address the situation
“The action is completely contrary to the provisions of the law, the directive of the National Party, and the instruction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We urge our supporters to get ready for direct primaries after addressing major challenges in the APC database in the state.
“Our legal team is also working on addressing the challenges and observations. May Allah bless Gombe State and may Allah bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Thank you all.” The statement read further.