The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State has accused the administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of allegedly sponsoring the production of 20,000 fake PDP membership cards ahead of the party’s repeat governorship primary scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
The party made the allegation in a statement dated September 28 and signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Abdulkadir Ahmed Dukku, who called on security agencies to investigate the claim.
The PDP alleged that individuals had been engaged to produce the purported membership cards for distribution to people who would attempt to participate in the primary. It further claimed that some of the alleged beneficiaries were to receive about N10,000 each as an inducement.
The allegations have not been independently verified, and the statement did not provide documentary evidence identifying those allegedly contracted to produce the cards or demonstrating the involvement of the Gombe State Government.
The party also alleged that the purported plan was intended to cause disruption during the primary and subsequently portray the exercise as marred by violence and the exclusion of voters.
It maintained that participation in the exercise would be restricted to eligible PDP members whose names appear in the relevant party records submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The statement urged PDP members to remain peaceful and law-abiding throughout the exercise while calling on security agencies to investigate the allegations and take appropriate action where wrongdoing is established.
The PDP also criticised the Inuwa Yahaya administration over its handling of state resources and other governance issues, allegations that formed part of the opposition party’s political criticism of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
As of the time of this report, no response from Governor Yahaya’s administration or the Gombe State APC to the specific allegations contained in the September 28 statement was identified in publicly available reports reviewed for this story.
The fresh PDP governorship primary follows a September 24 judgment of the Federal High Court in Gombe, which nullified the process that produced former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, as the party’s candidate and ordered a fresh exercise within 30 days.
The PDP subsequently fixed September 29 for the repeat primary, directing eligible members to participate at their respective ward areas.
Pantami, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry have been reported as the three aspirants cleared by the party to participate in the fresh contest.
The primary is expected to determine the PDP candidate for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election, subject to the party’s procedures and any further legal proceedings arising from the dispute.