The former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has reversed his past criticism of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after being awarded the governorship ticket of the party in Gombe State.
Although he was a strident critic of the PDP administrations at the federal and state levels, he said his decision to accept its ticket was driven by a desire to build upon the development initiatives established during PDP administrations.
Gombe State, Mr Pantami said, experienced its most significant developmental strides during the PDP’s 16-year rule, a legacy he said he would revive and expand if elected.
Mr Pantami is the choice governorship candidate of a faction linked to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and former Gombe Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo.
He secured a rapid takeover of the PDP ticket via a voice vote just days after entering the party.
He secured the ticket on Tuesday following a sudden defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a move that has already sparked protests and rejection from alternative aspirants within the opposition party.
Mr Pantami left the APC in protest against a consensus arrangement orchestrated by Governor Inuwa Yahaya that anointed Jamilu Gwamna as the APC governorship candidate.
Praising the PDP
“The PDP ruled in Gombe for 16 years from 2003 to 2019 and it transformed the state from a rural community to urban settlements and most of the major achievements in the state were under the PDP,” Mr Pantami stated.
The former minister highlighted several state and federal higher education institutions and health facilities, road networks established under past PDP administrations, pledging to expand upon those milestones if elected.
“With this mandate, we will build on the legacy that has been established earlier, particularly on human development,” he added.
Turning his attention to the current socioeconomic realities of the state, Mr Pantami expressed concern over rising poverty levels, citing recent data from the National Multidimensional Poverty Index.
“As it is today, according to the national multidimensional poverty index, Gombe is the third poorest state, our people are living in abject poverty, we plan to ensure we lift the people out of poverty, using education and skills development, agriculture, and industrialisation through foreign direct investment for the state.”
To reverse the poverty trend, Mr Pantami promised that his administration would court foreign direct investment and prioritise agriculture and skills development of the youth.
Besides, he pledged that his government would introduce state-sponsored welfare programmes specifically designed to cater to orphans across Gombe.
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Social media response
Social media swiftly responded to Mr Pantami’s glowing praise for the PDP’s 16-year rule in the state, with some commentators saying it represents a complete reversal of his past commentaries.
As a prominent Islamic cleric and academic before and during his time as a minister under the late President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration, Mr Pantami was one of the most vocal critics of the PDP.
Some of the commentators argued that throughout the PDP’s federal rule, Mr Pantami frequently criticised the party from the pulpit and in public lectures, routinely accusing past PDP administrations of systemic corruption, bad governance, economic mismanagement, and a failure to tackle insecurity in Nigeria.
