Sadiq Abubakar, the governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Gombe State, has challenged his counterpart from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), supported by Nyesom Wike, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, to participate in a public political debate ahead of the 2027 governorship election in the state.
Abubakar issued this challenge in a statement made available to reporters in Bauchi on Wednesday.
He believes that the proposed debate would offer both politicians the chance to present their ideas, policies, and vision for the development of Gombe State to the public.
Abubakar emphasised that a public debate would enable citizens to evaluate the intellectual capacities, understanding of governance, and policy priorities of the candidates, rather than relying solely on campaign rhetoric.
Additionally, he stated that this event would provide an opportunity for the people of Gombe State to hear directly from the candidates about the issues affecting their communities and how they plan to address them if elected.
Abubakar argued that political debates are essential for democratic development as they allow candidates to engage directly on matters of public interest and give voters the opportunity to compare their ideas and proposed solutions.
The NDC governorship candidate therefore called on Isa Pantami to accept the challenge, adding that the debate should focus on issues affecting the state and the welfare of its people.
He further stated that he believed the engagement would go beyond personal or partisan interests, describing it as an opportunity to place the future of Gombe State at the centre of political discourse.
Sadiq Abubakar, a former National Youth Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), defected from the party in 2026 and subsequently emerged as the NDC’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Gombe State.
Pantami, a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, also emerged as a major figure in the 2027 Gombe governorship contest.
Recent reports, however, identify him as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate following his departure from the APC.
The proposed debate, if accepted, could provide a public platform for the two candidates to outline their respective programmes and positions on governance, economic development, education, healthcare, security, employment and other issues affecting the people of Gombe State.