Gombe: PDP Guber Aspirant Petitions Panel Over Alleged Exclusion From Primary

One of the governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State, Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, has petitioned the party’s Governorship Appeal Panel over alleged exclusion from the governorship primary election conducted in the state.

In a petition dated May 27, 2026, and addressed to the Chairman of the PDP Governorship Appeal Panel in Gombe, Hamma Saleh alleged that despite being duly screened and cleared by the party to contest the governorship ticket, he was neither informed nor invited to participate in the primary election and its eventual rescheduling.

Hamma Saleh, a PDP member from Nafada West Ward in Nafada Local Government Area, stated that the screening committee chaired by former Kaduna State governor, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, had cleared him to contest ahead of the primary initially scheduled for May 24, 2026.

He explained that after the postponement of the exercise, he received no official communication from the party regarding a new date for the primary election.

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According to him, he only became aware that the exercise had been conducted on May 26 through reports circulating on social media, which indicated that former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, had emerged as the PDP governorship candidate.

The aspirant claimed that Pantami was declared the sole aspirant and winner of the primary without his knowledge or participation, despite his status as a cleared contestant in the race.

Hamma Saleh also questioned the legitimacy of the process, alleging that Pantami had earlier contested in the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC), where he reportedly came second.

Describing the PDP primary as “a kangaroo arrangement” and “a caricature of an election,” the aggrieved aspirant urged the appeal panel to urgently intervene and redress what he termed a breach of the party’s internal democratic process.

“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,” part of the petition read.

He expressed confidence that the appeal panel would ensure justice and fairness in handling the matter, while reaffirming his loyalty and commitment to the PDP.

المصدر: Daily Trust (NG)