Pantami still APC member, Gombe party insists — says resignation 'fabrication'

The Gombe State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has a clear message: Professor Ali Pantami is still one of them — and his so-called resignation was a fabrication.

At a press conference on Tuesday in Gombe, the party's Publicity Secretary, Moses Kyari, said the ward executive committee in Pantami's Ward never saw or discussed any resignation letter from the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.

"Twenty-five out of the twenty-seven members of the Ward Executive Committee publicly stated that they neither saw nor deliberated on any resignation letter purportedly submitted by Professor Ali Isa Pantami," Kyari said.

He added that the claim was "merely a fabrication orchestrated without the knowledge or approval of the Ward Executive Committee."

This comes after Pantami recently emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Gombe State. He lost the APC primary to Jamilu Gwamna.

According to Kyari, the ward chairman, Alhaji Bala Galda, disclosed that the alleged resignation letter was received on May 23, 2026 — four days after the date it supposedly carried, May 19. It was delivered by one Abba Pantami.

"Despite repeated requests, members of the Ward Executive Committee have not been provided with a copy of the said letter," Kyari stated.

Under the APC constitution, INEC guidelines, and the Electoral Act, Kyari argued, Pantami remains an APC member until proper procedures are followed and verified.

"It is therefore our position that Professor Ali Isa Pantami remains a member of the APC until all due processes are properly followed and verified."

The APC also pushed back hard against Pantami's claim — made during a televised interview on TVC — that his defection and PDP governorship ambition had the blessing of President Bola Tinubu.

"We categorically reject this assertion," Kyari said. "President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a committed leader of the APC and has consistently demonstrated loyalty to the party."

He said it was "difficult to believe that the President would endorse activities that are contrary to the interests and unity of the APC."

Kyari highlighted what he called the achievements of the APC administration in Gombe State under Governor Muhammadu Yahaya — improvements in governance, infrastructure, peace, and political stability. He noted the party's overwhelming representation at the National Assembly, State House of Assembly, and local government levels.

"Given these achievements and the continued growth of the APC in Gombe State, we find no basis for the claims being circulated regarding any endorsement of Professor Pantami's political ambitions outside the party," he added.

The party is now calling on the national leadership of the APC and the Presidency to publicly address the issue to avoid misleading the public.

Pantami, who served as Minister of Communications and Digital Economy under President Muhammadu Buhari, was a controversial figure during his tenure. He was widely criticised for his past extremist views and for his role in the controversial SIM card registration policy and the attempt to regulate the telecom sector.

His defection to the PDP and emergence as its governorship candidate in Gombe has shaken up the state's political landscape. But the APC says the process is far from clean — and that Pantami is still, at least officially, one of their own.