Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Gombe State, Dr Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna, has declared himself ready to participate in a public debate with other contenders ahead of the 2027 general elections, throwing down a challenge to his rivals to come forward with verifiable records rather than campaign rhetoric.
Ibrahim Sani Shawai, the spokesman for the Gwamna campaign, issued the statement on Wednesday afternoon, welcoming calls for an open debate among the candidates seeking to govern the state. Shawai said Gwamna was prepared to engage other contenders “any day, any time” on issues concerning the development of Gombe State. The challenge comes as political activities intensify across the state, with about ten political parties, including the APC, the Peoples Democratic Party, the African Democratic Congress, the Labour Party, the Young Progressives Party, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the Social Democratic Party, the Allied Peoples Movement and Accord, having presented governorship candidates for the 2027 contest.
Shawai, however, attached a condition to the proposed debate. He insisted it must be issues-based and must go beyond rhetoric, accusations and campaign propaganda. “Leadership is bigger than a debate, endless talk, baseless accusations, lies and propaganda,” Shawai said. “Politics and governance are not an endless contest of words. Leadership is about people, relationships, capacity, experience, institutions and results.” He said the debate should provide an opportunity for candidates to present their records and explain what they have achieved with opportunities previously available to them, rather than relying solely on promises about the future.
The spokesman listed human capital development, employment, education, healthcare, agriculture, water, infrastructure, investment, industrialisation, youth development and women empowerment as some of the issues that should feature in any debate. He specifically challenged other candidates to account for what he described as more than 1,800 jobs created for Gombe indigenes at KEDCO and KAEDCO, as well as over 1,000 opportunities at the Gombe State Water Board. He also cited local and foreign scholarships, capital support for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and youth and women empowerment interventions as areas that should be subjected to public scrutiny. “Let us put the records on the table,” Shawai said. “Let us debate records, not rhetoric; impact, not propaganda; people, not promises.”
Shawai said Gwamna had spent more than two decades building relationships across Gombe State and beyond, investing in people and developing political and professional networks across the public and private sectors. He noted that Gwamna’s development agenda was anchored on continuity, sustainability, consolidation and expansion of the development programmes of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya. He argued that the state already had a 10-year development framework under Yahaya, and that a change of administration should not automatically result in the abandonment of existing programmes and projects. According to him, government should be viewed as a continuum because development requires sustained policies rather than repeated cycles of abandonment and restarting.
The debate challenge has been framed by the Gwamna camp as a test of readiness and accountability. Shawai said the ultimate measure of leadership should include what an aspirant has built, the people developed, the relationships nurtured and the capacity demonstrated to deliver on future responsibilities. He reiterated that Gwamna was ready to participate in any debate and would be prepared to discuss his record, vision and plans for the future of Gombe State. “Dr Jamil Isyaku Gwamna is ready. Any day. Any time,” he said.
The 2027 Gombe governorship race is shaping up as a contest between Gwamna and Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy who is now the PDP governorship candidate. Pantami, who initially sought the APC ticket, rejected the consensus arrangement that produced Gwamna and subsequently defected to the PDP, where he secured the party’s nomination. The rivalry between the two men has dominated political discourse in Gombe since the APC adopted Gwamna as its consensus candidate in May 2026, a decision that was ratified by party stakeholders and endorsed by Governor Inuwa Yahaya. Pantami’s camp has consistently challenged the legitimacy of that arrangement, describing it as an injustice, and his emergence as the PDP candidate has set the stage for a closely watched contest.
The call for a public debate is not new to Nigerian politics, but it has become increasingly important in an era of declining public trust in political promises. Debates offer voters an opportunity to assess candidates beyond the carefully scripted messages of campaign rallies and social media. They force contenders to confront their records, defend their policies and respond to criticism in real time. For Gwamna, who has positioned himself as a candidate of experience, capacity and results, the debate represents an opportunity to demonstrate that his track record in the private and public sectors qualifies him to lead Gombe State. For his rivals, particularly Pantami, it is a chance to challenge that narrative and present alternative visions for the state’s future.
Whether the debate will actually take place remains uncertain. Shawai said any candidate calling for the debate should set the stage, suggesting that the Gwamna campaign was not initiating the process but was willing to participate if a credible platform is provided. No date, venue or organising body has been announced. The absence of a formal framework for the debate raises questions about whether it will materialise or remain a rhetorical exchange between campaigns. In previous election cycles, debate proposals have often collapsed amid disagreements over format, sponsorship and the participation of all candidates.
Gombe State, known as the Jewel in the Savannah, has been governed by the APC since 2019 under Governor Inuwa Yahaya, who is completing his second term. The state has benefited from a 10-year development framework that Gwamna has promised to sustain and expand. The PDP, meanwhile, is determined to reclaim the state and has fielded a candidate with significant national profile and name recognition. The contest will test the strength of the APC’s incumbency and the appeal of the opposition’s alternative vision.
For now, the Gwamna campaign has made its position clear. It is ready to debate. It is ready to put its record on the table. It is ready to engage on the issues that matter to the people of Gombe State. The challenge has been issued. Whether the other candidates will accept it, and whether a credible debate will be organised, is now up to them. The people of Gombe, who will ultimately decide the outcome of the 2027 election, have every reason to demand that their would-be governors face each other in a substantive contest of ideas rather than a duel of press statements.
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