NEWS
APC Governorship Crisis Deepens as Isa Pantami Breaks Down in Tears Over Controversial Consensus Candidate in Gombe
A major political storm has erupted within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State after former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, reportedly broke down in tears following his exclusion from the party’s controversial governorship consensus arrangement ahead of the 2027 elections.
The development has sparked intense reactions across political circles after the APC leadership in Gombe announced businessman Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna as the party’s consensus governorship candidate, a move that immediately triggered outrage among some aspirants and supporters within the party.
Pantami, who had declared interest in the governorship race, openly rejected the consensus process and described it as unlawful, undemocratic, and inconsistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
Videos circulating online captured emotional scenes and reactions following the dispute over the governorship ticket, further fueling public debate and political tension within the ruling party in the state.
According to Pantami, any valid consensus arrangement must involve the voluntary written consent of all cleared aspirants agreeing to step down for a chosen candidate. He maintained that such conditions were not met in the Gombe APC process that produced Gwamna.
Speaking through members of the Pantamiyya Movement, the former minister accused some party leaders of staging what they described as a political coronation instead of conducting a transparent democratic exercise.
The group further alleged that the process violated key provisions of the Electoral Act and contradicted directives earlier issued by the national leadership of the APC regarding internal party democracy and candidate selection procedures.
The controversy has since intensified discussions about growing internal crises within the APC as preparations for the 2027 general elections continue to gather momentum across different states.
Political observers have also linked the incident to a similar development recently recorded in Kwara State, where an APC State House of Assembly aspirant, Abdulmajeed Abdulfatai Arikewuyo, reportedly broke down in tears after his name was omitted from the list of candidates released for Ilorin South-West despite submitting his letter of intention.
The parallel incidents in Gombe and Kwara have raised fresh concerns over internal party disputes, transparency in candidate selection, and the growing dissatisfaction among aspirants who believe they were unfairly sidelined in the APC’s political arrangements ahead of future elections.