Pantami a bonafide party member, Gombe PDP slams APC

The Gombe State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has reignited the controversy surrounding the political status of its governorship candidate, Professor Isa Pantami, insisting that the former minister is no longer a member of the All Progressives Congress.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, the PDP dismissed claims by the Gombe State APC that Pantami remained a member of the ruling party, describing the assertion as “laughable” and indicative of “ignorance of the Electoral Act and our party’s constitution.”

The statement was signed by the State Public Relations Officer of the PDP, Abdulkadir Ahmad.

Recall that earlier on Tuesday, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Gombe State, Moses Kyari, raised concerns over Pantami’s alleged failure to resign his membership of the party before clinching the PDP governorship ticket.

The opposition party maintained that Pantami had fulfilled all constitutional and legal requirements to become a member of the PDP and that it possessed documentary evidence of his resignation from the APC.

“We wish to categorically state that Professor Pantami is a bona fide member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), having duly complied with all the constitutional and legal requirements for membership of our party,” the statement partly read.

According to the PDP, it has in its possession “all relevant documents confirming his resignation from his former party, acknowledged by his then ward chairman.”

The party further alleged that the chairman of the APC in Pantami Ward personally acknowledged Pantami’s resignation letter on May 19, 2026.

“The chairman of the APC in Pantami Ward has stated that he acknowledged Pantami’s resignation letter in person on May 19, 2026, and subsequently posted it on social media, where it went viral,” the statement added.

The PDP called on Nigerians and APC members at all levels to disregard what it described as misleading claims by the Gombe APC.

“We therefore call on APC members and all Nigerians, from the national level down to the ward level, as well as the general public, to disregard the misleading claims being circulated by the sinking APC in Gombe State,” it stated.

The party also accused the APC of repeatedly revisiting an issue it considered settled.

“It should be noted that this is the third time the APC has organised a press conference on the same issue, despite the facts being clear and well documented,” the statement said.

The PDP urged the APC to concentrate on preparations for the forthcoming general election rather than what it termed distractions.

“Consequently, we urge the APC in Gombe State to focus on preparing for the forthcoming general election instead of engaging in unnecessary distractions,” it noted.

The statement further argued that the Constitution and the Electoral Act guarantee citizens the freedom to associate with political parties of their choice.

“If the APC lacks confidence in its candidate, it should address its internal concerns instead of insisting that Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami must remain in its party. After all, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act, as amended, guarantee freedom of association,” the PDP said.

The party added that the APC still had the opportunity, within the electoral process, to make decisions regarding its candidature if it believed its candidate could not effectively compete against Pantami.

Reaffirming its commitment ahead of the polls, the PDP said it would continue to pursue issue-based campaigns and offer what it described as credible leadership to the people of Gombe State.

“The PDP remains committed to issue-based campaigns and to providing the people of Gombe State with credible leadership, development and good governance,” the statement concluded.