Dr Jamil Isiyaka Gwamna, the All Progressives Congress (APC) consensus candidate in Gombe State, has called on party members to unite ahead of the 2027 general elections. He urged those who contested and their supporters to close ranks, stressing that cohesion is vital for the party's success. Gwamna said the APC can win the presidential, gubernatorial, senatorial, House of Representatives and State Assembly elections if members remain united. "Let me use this opportunity to call on all members of our great party, the APC, those who contested and those who supported the various contestants, to close ranks and come together," he said in a chat with journalists.
He attributed his emergence to divine will, stating, "Power belongs to Almighty Allah, and He gives it to whomever He wills, whenever He wills, and at the time He chooses." Gwamna, who described this as his first attempt at the governorship, said, "This is the time He has ordained as mine." He expressed gratitude to Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, saying he was deeply grateful for the governor's role in the process.
The consensus decision has sparked disquiet, with former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami rejecting it as a "coronation." Pantami, a contender, said the process violated due process and called for legal and party-based remedies. Despite the pushback, Gwamna maintained that unity is paramount for the continued progress of Gombe State under APC leadership.
Gwamna calls for unity while benefiting from a process that sidelined Pantami and other aspirants through a non-competitive consensus. Pantami's rejection of the arrangement as a "coronation" exposes the contradiction between preaching unity and accepting a nomination that lacked internal democracy. Gombe APC members who supported Pantami are now expected to back a candidate chosen without a primary. Their loyalty is demanded even as the process that produced Gwamna denies them the chance to contest and lose on equal terms.
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