Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has threatened to publicly identify those he accuses of conspiring to frustrate his Gombe State governorship ambition after his name was omitted from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s final list of candidates.
Pantami, the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Gombe State, said he would release detailed information about the alleged plot in the coming days, insisting that investigations by his camp had uncovered efforts to derail his political ambition.
In a video message to supporters across the state, the former minister said the time would soon come for him to explain what he described as a coordinated attempt to prevent him from contesting the governorship election.
He alleged that substantial financial resources and time had been committed to the effort, adding that the findings of his camp had confirmed the suspicions held by his supporters.
“To the people you suspect of constantly fueling opposition against us, Wallahi, your suspicions are true. Every investigation we conducted confirmed this,” he said in Hausa.
Pantami’s declaration comes after INEC excluded his name from its final list of governorship candidates released on October 10, a development that has cast uncertainty over his bid for the Gombe governorship.
His legal team, Ahmed Raji & Co., had described the omission as unlawful.
Although Pantami did not identify the alleged conspirators in the video, he promised to provide what he called authentic and detailed information about those behind the development.
“In the coming days, we will enlighten you with authentic and detailed information regarding all the hypocrisy that was plotted and those who orchestrated it,” he said.
Beyond the political dispute, Pantami devoted part of his message to thanking supporters who had organised prayers, Qur’anic recitations and spiritual gatherings in mosques and churches following the omission of his name.
He praised their steadfastness, saying they had remained committed to his cause despite the setback and urged them not to lose hope.
“Do not be weakened and do not grieve. You are exalted as long as you believe in Allah,” he told them.
The former minister also criticised those mocking his supporters for turning to prayer, arguing that their actions reflected a failure to appreciate the significance of faith in difficult circumstances.
To reinforce his message, Pantami invoked the accounts of Prophet Musa and Pharaoh in the Qur’an and the Bible’s Book of Exodus, maintaining that human opposition could not overturn a destiny ordained by God.
“You cannot bring down a person whom Allah has destined for an opportunity. If Allah wills it, no one can stop it,” he said.
Pantami’s latest remarks signal his intention to take the dispute beyond the omission itself by publicly detailing the alleged efforts against his candidacy. However, the identities of the people he accused and the evidence he says will substantiate the allegations were not disclosed in the video.
His promised disclosure is expected to provide further details about his claims, while the circumstances surrounding his exclusion from INEC’s final list remain central to the dispute over his governorship bid.
