The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State has dismissed allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the ruling party is behind the alleged production of 20,000 fake membership cards ahead of the opposition party’s fresh governorship primary scheduled for today, September 29.
The APC described the allegation as baseless and challenged the PDP to produce evidence, insisting that the ruling party had no interest in the opposition party’s internal affairs or its governorship primary.
The APC State Publicity Secretary, Murtala Usman Wuro Tale, in a statement on Monday, said the party was focused on governance, development and delivering on its responsibilities to the people of Gombe State.
He said the PDP should concentrate on resolving its internal disagreements and comply with the court order directing it to conduct a fresh governorship primary rather than diverting attention by accusing the APC of interfering in its affairs.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the APC-led administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has absolutely no business with the internal affairs, membership administration or governorship primary of the PDP,” Wuro Tale said.
He added that the conduct of the PDP primary was strictly the responsibility of the opposition party and its relevant organs.
“The conduct of the PDP’s primary is strictly an internal responsibility of the party and its relevant organs,” he said.
According to him, the APC would neither organise the PDP primary nor participate in its internal disputes or accept responsibility for decisions taken by the opposition party.
The APC spokesman urged the PDP leadership to explain to the people of Gombe how it intended to address the legal issues surrounding its earlier governorship primary instead of shifting attention to the ruling party.
The controversy followed a Federal High Court judgment in Gombe on September 24, 2026, which, according to the APC, nullified the PDP’s May 2026 governorship primary that produced Professor Isa Ali Pantami as the party’s candidate.
The court subsequently ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh primary in line with its guidelines and applicable electoral laws.
Following the judgment, the PDP fixed Tuesday, September 29, for the fresh governorship primary.
Wuro Tale therefore urged the opposition party to focus on complying with the court’s directive and resolving the disputes surrounding its internal electoral process.
He said if the PDP had evidence that individuals or groups were producing fraudulent membership cards or interfering with its internal electoral process, such evidence should be submitted to relevant law-enforcement and regulatory agencies.
“Press statements and political allegations cannot substitute for evidence,” he said.
The APC also called on political parties in Gombe State to conduct their activities within the confines of the law and engage the electorate on issues of governance, policies and development.
“The people of Gombe State deserve responsible political engagement based on facts, evidence, policies and issues that directly affect their lives,” the statement said.
The ruling party maintained that it would remain focused on the administration and development of Gombe State, saying it would not be distracted by what it described as unsupported allegations concerning the internal affairs of another political party.
