By Professor Ishaq Akintola

A human rights group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has described the consensus exercise in the search for governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State which excluded Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami as a kangaroo consensus and an exercise in futility.

‎In a press release issued on Thursday, 7th May, 2026 by the Executive Director of the organization, MURIC advised Gombe APC to buy into the former minister’s long-time membership and leverage on his unshaken loyalty by supporting his gubernatorial candidature.

‎The statement reads:

‎”Reports indicate that Gombe State All Progressives Congress (APC) organised a lopsided ‘consensus’ arrangement in the absence of, and without the knowledge of, at least one of the major contending candidates, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami.

‎”This is unfair, parochial, undemocratic and therefore unacceptable. A level playing field must be provided for all interested candidates in the name of fairness, justice and equity. Anything short of this is a kangaroo arrangement and an exercise in futility.

“MURIC demands the annulment of the consensus arrangement which was clandestinely, hurriedly and illegally put together on Sunday, 3rd April 2026 for several reasons.

‎”Firstly, political scientists agree that democracy must be participatory. But this principle was jettisoned in the Sunday exercise because not all the candidates were involved. Section 84 (2): of the Nigeria Electoral Act 2026 outlines the modes of nomination. It made it unequivocally clear that there can be no valid consensus without involving the aspirants who have obtained or completed their expression of interest and nomination forms.

‎”Secondly, the incumbent, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya who is concluding his eight-year tenure, hails from the same Jekadafari Ward where the ‘consensus’ candidate comes from. This is an anomaly. No political party keen on unity and victory will commit such political harakiri. We must beware of protest votes from other wards, local government areas and senatorial zones in the same Gombe State.

‎”Thirdly, unlike Professor Pantami who has an indomitable pedigree in the party, the candidate who was picked on Sunday has been virtually in all political parties in Gombe State. Why pick a perrenial ship-jumper? When did he join the party? His choice throws questions around APC’s reward system.

‎”In the fourth place, conducting a concensus exercise within the party without regard for the candidature of Professor Pantami or any other candidate and their rights to vote and be voted for constitutes a blatant abridgement of the latter’s Allah-given and fundamental human right as stipulated in Sections 77(2) and 117(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

‎”A fifth raison d’etre can be found in a major rule of the game. Arrival at a consensus candidate can only be valid if all cleared aspirants provide written consent to step down. If even one aspirant refuses, the party must revert to a direct primary. There is no evidence that this was done. The Gombe consensus has therefore violated due process as well as the Nigeria Electoral Act 2026.

‎”It is well known that Pantami has the crowd. Even the large followership in the Pantamiya movement alone is enough to score a landslide victory. With a professor in the saddle, Gombe State is on the verge of becoming the leading light in the education sector in Northern Nigeria.

“We advise Gombe APC to buy into the former minister’s long-time membership and leverage on his unshaken loyalty by supporting his gubernatorial candidature.

“Finally, we appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call Gombe state executive arm of the APC to order. We call for the cancellation of the Gombe concensus exercise. We demand respect for due process and the rule of law.”

‎Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).