Buhari's ex-minister withdraws from governorship race: "unsafe and illegitimate"
- Former President Muhammadu Buhari's ex-minister, Professor Isa Pantami, has withdrawn from contesting the APC governorship primary in Gombe state
- Pantami, who was the immediate past minister of communication and digital economy, cited anomalies in the primary election processes
- The former minister's withdrawal from the poll has started generating reactions from his supporters, who are calling on him to dump the APC and contest in another party
Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami has pulled out of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries in Gombe State, citing violations of the Electoral Act 2026.
Pantami, who was a former minister of Communications and Digital Economy under the immediate past administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari, from 2019 to 2023, also cited irregularities in the election processes as the reason for his withdrawal.
Source: Twitter
His statement reads in part:
"In a democracy, the law must guide the process. Non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2026 and the party guidelines renders the exercise unsafe and illegitimate. The people of Gombe State witnessed what transpired during the direct primary “elections” for the National Assembly held on 16 and 18 May 2026. The strength of Pantami lies in his massive grassroots support, particularly among women and youth. Unfortunately, in the recent direct primaries, members at the grassroots were sidelined in the process."
Nigerians react as Pantami dumps APC guber race
However, his statement has started generating mixed reactions from Nigerians. Below are some of their comments:
Musa Zakariyya hammered on defection:
"Alhamdulillah, Prof., I must tell you with all sincerity that many people are in the APC Gombe chapter, and even at the national level, because of your influence and leadership. I had left APC long ago, but my conscience kept me attached because I believed staying connected might still contribute, in one way or another, to the emergence of a peace-loving and pious candidate. Now that you will no longer appear on the APC ballot, I can boldly move with my supporters to a more reputable political party that genuinely has the interest of the people at heart."
Source: Facebook
Abdallah Harun Almagamawee urged the professor to join another party:
"I'm advising the supporters of our great scholar (Prof. I. A Pantami) to convince him to join another party, because he has a lot of followers who like him to contest for the gubernatorial seat in Gombe state. Once more, please convince him to contest from another party."
WEB3 urged the ex-minister to decamp:
"Sir, politics is all about people's choices. Your people choose and are fully in your support. To fulfil their dreams, you can decamp to another party, and I am sure that you will win in any party by the grace of Almighty Allah. I wish you good luck, sir.
Gulam Sahabi Muhammad wrote:
"If Allah has destined Professor Isa Ali Pantami to be the 2027 election-winning governor of Gombe state, no one can prevent that from happening. Neither APC nor the INEC Chairman."
You can read Pantami's full statement on Facebook here:
Wike speaks on meeting APC national chairman
Legit.ng earlier reported that the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, explained that his visit to the APC national chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, earlier in the week.
The minister made the clarification while inspecting some projects in Abuja, adding that he was not playing the politics of enmity.
According to Wike, the APC national chairman was his colleague as a minister before taking the position of the ruling party leader and that his visit to Nentawe Yilwatda was personal.
Source: Legit.ng
