Dr Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for Gombe State ahead of the 2027 election, has dismissed a wave of criticism trailing his campaign on social media, insisting that political contests in Nigeria are decided by voters at polling units and not by trends or commentary online.

The remark comes at a moment when Gwamna’s campaign has been locked in an increasingly public battle with detractors operating largely on digital platforms, a fight that recently escalated into a formal petition to national security authorities.

Gwamna emerged as the APC’s flagbearer for the 2027 Gombe governorship race in May, defeating two prominent rivals — former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Ali Pantami and former Minister of Transportation Saidu Alkali — in a primary he won by a wide margin.

Since then, his political profile has grown steadily, drawing endorsements from party stakeholders, retired military and diplomatic figures, and grassroots structures across the state’s local government areas.

That rise, however, has also made him a frequent target online, with his camp alleging a coordinated campaign of misinformation designed to dent his standing before the polls.

Earlier this month, Gwamna’s team formally petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, asking for an investigation by the Nigeria Police’s cybercrime unit, with the involvement of INTERPOL, into social media accounts accused of circulating false claims that he had been arrested and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The candidate has firmly denied the allegations, describing them as part of a deliberate disinformation effort aimed at misleading the public and damaging his reputation at a time when his support base continues to expand across the state.

Against that backdrop, Gwamna’s latest position reflects a familiar refrain now common among APC figures nationwide, several of whom have argued in recent months that online criticism has little bearing on actual electoral outcomes.

His campaign has instead leaned into ground mobilisation, with structures such as the Jamilu Renewed Hope Movement working to reach all of Gombe’s nearly 3,000 polling units ahead of the 2027 vote. For Gwamna and his backers, the message is that the contest will ultimately be settled where votes are counted, not where opinions are traded online.