Talatu Manzo, Gombe
People’s Democratic Party Governorship Aspirants in Gombe State, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Ms. Monica Ibrahim Kaltho, have rejected the emergence of Professor Isa Ali Pantami as the party’s candidate, vowing to seek redress through the party’s internal mechanisms and, if necessary, the courts.
The aggrieved aspirants, who addressed journalists in Gombe, described the development as “sad” and alleged that due process was not followed in the conduct of the party’s governorship primary.
Mr. Mailantarki maintained that they had complied with all constitutional and electoral requirements by purchasing nomination forms, undergoing screening and consulting widely across their constituencies ahead of the exercise initially scheduled for May 24 before it was shifted to May 26.
According to them, reports later emerged that Pantami, who recently sought the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC, had joined the PDP and was subsequently announced as the party’s consensus candidate.
The aspirants said they welcomed new entrants into the PDP, but questioned how Pantami could emerge as candidate barely a day after allegedly joining the party.
“We are asking how that became a reality and what process was followed. Constitutionally, the four of us who were screened should have been involved in any consensus arrangement,” one of the aspirants stated,” said Mailantarki.
He explained that prior to the controversy, the four, Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, Hon. Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, Usman Aliyu Garry, and Monica Kaltho, had agreed to allow party leaders and stakeholders choose any one among them as consensus candidate in the interest of unity.
According to them, the arrangement was reached after consultations with party elders, with all four aspirants agreeing to work together irrespective of who eventually emerged.
The aspirants, however, expressed surprise that no meeting was convened involving them before the announcement of Pantami as consensus candidate.
“We only heard through the media that a congress had been conducted somewhere and that a candidate had emerged. We were never invited to any consensus meeting,” Mr. Mailantarki alleged.
He said the process could expose the PDP to avoidable litigation and disaffection among party supporters at a time when many Nigerians were looking up to the opposition party for leadership.
Mr. Mailantarki appealed to the PDP leadership to review the situation and “do the right thing” in order to protect the image of the party.
While urging their supporters to remain calm and law-abiding, the PDP Governorship aspirant said they would first exhaust the party’s appeal channels before considering legal action.
“There is nothing wrong in seeking redress where things are not done properly. The next line of action is to appeal through the party mechanism, and if necessary, we can go further legally to ensure justice is done,” Mr. Mailantarki said.
The aspirant also dismissed speculation linking the development to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike, insisting that he believed Mr. Wike was a believer in due process and constitutional procedures.
Minica Yahaya Kaltho equally joined fellow aspirants in a collective push for justice, following what they describe as irregularities in the party’s nomination process.
One of the aggrieved governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Gombe State, Ms Monica Yahaya Kaltho, called on Professor Isa Ali Pantami to act in line with the values expected of him as a cleric, mentor and public figure, amid the controversy surrounding his emergence as the party’s governorship candidate.
Ms. Kaltho alleged that Pantami did not fulfil the requirements of the party’s governorship primary process, insisting that he neither purchased nomination forms, nor participated in the screening exercise conducted by the party in Abuja.
According to her, the aspirants who contested the primary election followed due process and obtained the necessary clearances from the party before participating in the exercise.
“Pantami did not buy forms with us. He was not screened. We have the clearance. The way we went for screening in Abuja, Pantami was not there and he was not cleared,” she stated.
Ms. Kaltho further claimed that Pantami’s previous participation in the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC, raised questions over his eligibility to contest under the PDP.
She urged the former minister to reflect on his standing in society and avoid actions capable of undermining public confidence in the democratic process.
“He is a cleric, a mentor and a role model to many. Such things should not be happening with people like him,” she said.
The aspirant, however, maintained that the aggrieved contestants remained loyal to the PDP and would pursue redress through lawful and internal party mechanisms.
She expressed confidence in the party leadership and stakeholders to address their grievances through dialogue and fairness in order to preserve unity ahead of the 2027 general election.
“We are obedient to the party and we respect the stakeholders. We believe they are going to do the right thing, possibly by inviting us for dialogue,” Kaltho added.
