The camp of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami, is addressing the omission of his name from the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) list of governorship candidates for the 2027 election in Gombe State. Pantami's campaign organisation and the Pantamiyya Movement urged supporters to remain calm, describing the omission as a temporary challenge. The campaign's legal and liaison teams are working with the PDP and INEC to resolve the matter within the period allowed by law.
INEC's published list of governorship candidates omitted Pantami's name, raising questions about the party's representation in the race and the status of its nomination process. This development comes less than two weeks after Pantami won the PDP's court-ordered rerun governorship primary on September 29, 2026, with 2,054 votes. Khamisu Mailantarki secured 389 votes, while Aliyu Garry came third with 112 votes. The rerun followed a Federal High Court judgment nullifying the earlier primary that produced Pantami as the party's candidate.
Pantami defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP in a letter dated May 19, 2026, after disagreements with the Gombe APC leadership. His defection and subsequent victory in the rerun primary have faced opposition from other aspirants, particularly Mailantarki, who rejected the result and demanded recognition as the party's validly nominated candidate. Mailantarki argued that Pantami was ineligible to participate in the primary due to allegedly joining the PDP after the May 10 deadline for submitting the party's membership register to INEC.
The competing claims have added to the uncertainty surrounding the PDP's efforts to settle on a candidate for the 2027 governorship election. Garry, who finished third in the rerun, also rejected the exercise, describing it as fundamentally flawed and threatening to seek legal redress. The PDP's nomination process is facing legal and political challenges, and the outcome is expected to significantly affect the party's preparations for the 2027 governorship election.
Pantami's campaign organisation expressed confidence that its engagements with the party and INEC would resolve the issue within the legally prescribed period. However, it remains unclear whether the party will rectify the omission through administrative action or if the eligibility challenge will lead to further litigation. The campaign organisation is working to ensure full compliance and rectification within the window provided by law.
Following his victory, Pantami pledged to unite the party and lead it back to the Gombe State Government House in 2027. The PDP subsequently conducted the repeat exercise in compliance with the court's directive. The party's efforts to settle on a candidate are being closely watched, as the 2027 governorship election approaches.
The uncertainty surrounding the PDP's nomination process has heightened, with various factions and aspirants staking their claims. The party's leadership will need to navigate these challenges to present a united front for the 2027 election. Key to this will be resolving the discrepancy between Pantami's victory at the rerun primary and his absence from INEC's published list.
Key points
- Pantami's camp is working to resolve the INEC list dispute through engagement with the relevant authorities.
- The PDP's nomination process is facing challenges due to competing claims and eligibility disputes.
- The outcome is expected to significantly affect the PDP's preparations for the 2027 governorship election in Gombe State.
