MURIC Demands Reinstatement of Pantami as Gombe PDP Governorship Candidate, Calls for INEC Chairman’s Removal
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has demanded the immediate reinstatement of Professor Isa Ali Pantami as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of unjustly omitting his name from the list of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The organisation also called on President Bola Tinubu to replace INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, alleging religious bias in the handling of Pantami’s candidacy.
MURIC’s Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, made the demands on Tuesday at a press conference held at the organisation’s headquarters in Lagos.
Akintola said Pantami emerged victorious in the PDP’s fresh governorship primary conducted on September 29, 2026, following the nullification of an earlier process by a Federal High Court.
According to him, Pantami polled 2,054 votes to defeat Khamisu Mailantarki, who scored 389 votes, and Aliyu Garry, who received 112 votes.
He said the fresh primary was monitored by INEC officials led by Gambo Umar Arabi, who reportedly signed and submitted an official report on the exercise.
Akintola questioned INEC’s decision to omit Pantami’s name despite the court-ordered primary, arguing that the process had complied with the directive of the court.
He described the omission as unlawful and called for the immediate restoration of Pantami’s name on the list of PDP governorship candidates in Gombe State.
MURIC also expressed a vote of no confidence in Amupitan, alleging that his handling of the matter raised concerns about religious discrimination against Muslim candidates.
Akintola linked the allegations to previous controversies surrounding Amupitan’s alleged authorship of an 80-page legal brief on claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria, which MURIC said was submitted to the United States.
The organisation further cited its opposition to Amupitan’s appointment, alongside that of the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, arguing that the latest development had heightened its concerns about his leadership of the electoral commission.
Akintola alleged that Pantami had been singled out because of his background as an Islamic scholar, contrasting his candidacy with those of Christian clerics who currently occupy governorship positions in some states.
He, however, did not present independent evidence at the press conference to establish that religious bias was the reason for Pantami’s omission.
MURIC maintained that INEC should explain the basis for excluding Pantami’s name and called on Tinubu to appoint a replacement for Amupitan whom it described as free from religious and ethnic prejudice.
The organisation reiterated its demand for Pantami’s immediate reinstatement as the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State, insisting that the omission must be addressed ahead of the 2027 general elections.
