Gombe PDP gov aspirant protests exclusion from primary

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Gombe State, Abdulkadir-Hamma Saleh, has formally protested his exclusion from the party's primary election, which saw Prof Isa Pantami emerge as the candidate.

Saleh submitted a petition to the PDP's governorship appeals panel, dated May 27, 2026. He asserts that he was properly screened and cleared by the committee led by former Kaduna State governor Ahmed Makarfi. However, he claims he received no notification about the primary election, which was initially scheduled for May 24 and later moved to May 26, 2026.

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On May 26, 2026, while I was in my house in Gombe State, I saw on social media that Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, who was allegedly the sole aspirant, had been declared the winner and candidate of the PDP.

According to Saleh, he only learned about the primary election through social media reports while at his residence in Gombe. He stated, "On May 26, 2026, while I was in my house in Gombe State, I saw on social media that Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, who was allegedly the sole aspirant, had been declared the winner and candidate of the PDP."

Saleh also raised questions about Pantami's candidacy, alleging that the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy had previously contested in the All Progressives Congress governorship primary, where he finished as runner-up. Saleh urged the appeals panel to investigate the "irregularities" and what he termed a "kangaroo arrangement" and "caricature of an election."

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I hereby appeal to your panel to look into my complaint with a view to addressing the kangaroo arrangement that took place on May 26, 2026, which is a caricature of an election.