By ‎Professor Ishaq Akintola

‎‎An Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has declared that the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Ibrahim Isa Ali Pantami is eminently qualified for the post of governor in Gombe State.

‎‎In a declaration signed by the Executive Director of the group, Professor Ishaq Akintola on Thursday, 28th May, 2026, MURIC affirmed that its general nonpartisanship cannot diminish its support for an eminently qualified candidate no matter his political party.

‎The group also added that it had no problem with the former minister’s new party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its newly picked presidential candidate, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

‎‎In its own words:

‎‎”The former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Ibrahim Isa Ali Pantami has been declared the gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State (https://reubenabati.com/news/2027-pantami-dumps-apc-wins-pdp-guber-primary).

‎‎”The former minister had earlier rejected the consensus arrangement of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state about three weeks ago before defecting to the PDP.

‎‎”We rejoice with the former minister on his emergence as the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Gombe State. We also congratulate the PDP for catching a big fish. We urge Gombe voters to appreciate the value of their gubernatorial candidate by massively voting for him.

‎‎”We assert clearly, unequivocally, totally and categorically that Shaykh Pantami is eminently qualified to lead the people of Gombe. As a renowned Islamic scholar and erudite academic, Shaykh Pantami has all the prerequisites to guide the predominantly Muslim population towards a meaningful, happy and prosperous Muslim life.

‎‎”We therefore call on the good Muslims of Gombe to seize this golden opportunity to set pristine Islam as their moral compass.

‎”This is a chance in a life time. It is not everyday that majority Muslims in a state have the opportunity to vote in an Islamic scholar. Shaykh Pantami is a veritable fountain of knowledge, an academic guru and a technocrat nulli secundus.

‎‎”We affirm that our general nonpartisanship cannot diminish our support for an eminently qualified candidate no matter his political party. We are party-blind and we have no problem with the former minister’s new political party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

‎‎”Neither do we have any reservations about the PDP’s recently picked presidential candidate, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, whom we consider as having conducted himself with decency and dignity since he left office as president.”

‎Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).