Rival groups nominate Isa Pantami and Mohammed Yayari for 2027 election.
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened in Gombe State, with two rival factions announcing separate governorship candidates for the 2027 election .
The faction led by former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), on Wednesday unveiled Mohammed Yayari, the party's immediate past National Treasurer, as its flagbearer . Certificates of Return were presented to Yayari and other candidates at a ceremony in Abuja, where party leaders stressed the need for loyalty and warned against defections after securing nominations .
PDP chieftain Ibrahim Turaki said: "Nobody will take our mandate to another political party and get away with it," adding that future candidates would sign binding agreements before their names are submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) .
Parallel faction backs Pantami
Meanwhile, a rival faction led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, which held a separate National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja, presented former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, as its governorship candidate for Gombe State . This faction claimed its candidates had been recognised and published by INEC .
Pantami's emergence came weeks after a faction linked to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike announced him as the PDP flagbearer . He secured the ticket via a voice vote just days after defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC), a move that sparked protests from other PDP aspirants in Gombe .
Mainstream Gombe PDP rejects parallel primaries
However, the mainstream Gombe State PDP chapter, led by former Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, has distanced itself from what it called an illegal primary conducted by "disgruntled elements," insisting the party has no faction .
State Publicity Secretary Abdulkadir Ahmad Dukku said in a statement: "The PDP in Gombe State is one united family without any faction and cannot stand by and watch mischievous elements cause confusion within the party ranks" .
The state leadership reaffirmed Pantami as its candidate, describing the parallel primaries as unconstitutional and capable of causing division .
Earlier opposition to Pantami's candidacy
Four PDP governorship aspirants—Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, Hon. Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, Hon. Usman Aliyu Garry, and Mrs. Monica Kaltho—had earlier rejected Pantami's entry into the race, citing the Electoral Act's provisions against aspirants contesting primaries of one party before defecting to another .
The deepening crisis in Gombe threatens to weaken the PDP's chances of mounting a strong challenge unless a political settlement is reached before the 2027 polls .
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Note: The PDP leadership is currently embroiled in a national factional dispute, with the Wike-led group and the Turaki-led group both claiming legitimacy, complicating the situation in Gombe State .
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