Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has re-emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) flagbearer for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election. He secured victory in the party’s rerun primary, which was conducted across the state’s 11 local government areas on Tuesday. The primary was necessitated by a court ruling that nullified the initial primary that produced Mr Pantami as the candidate.
According to the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Temnung Shekarau, 2,555 voters were registered for the primary. Mr Pantami polled 2,054 votes, about 80 per cent of the total votes cast. The other aspirants, Usman Garry and Hamisu Mailantarki, received 112 votes and 389 votes respectively. The rerun primary was a result of a 24 September judgement by Justice Amina Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Gombe.
The court ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh exercise in compliance with its constitution following legal challenges brought forward by Mr Garry. The initial primary had been declared on 26 May via voice affirmation, which was later challenged in court by co-aspirants. They argued that a voice vote bypassed the democratic voting procedures mandated by the Electoral Act and the PDP constitution.
Mr Pantami had previously defected to the PDP from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after losing out on the APC governorship ticket to consensus candidate Jamilu Gwamna. He was originally declared the Nyesom Wike-backed PDP standard-bearer during the 26 May primary through voice affirmation. However, this procedure was later challenged in court.
The Federal High Court in Gombe ruled on 24 September that the initial selection was invalid and instructed the party to hold a formal ballot-based primary rerun within 30 days. The 29 September rerun provided Mr Pantami with a legally binding primary victory, affirming his position on the official PDP ballot for the upcoming 2027 election.
The PDP’s decision to conduct a rerun primary was in compliance with the court’s directive. The party ensured that the exercise was conducted in a free, fair, and transparent manner. The results of the rerun primary have been verified and confirmed by the party’s officials.
With his re-emergence as the PDP governorship candidate, Mr Pantami is expected to face stiff competition in the 2027 election. His victory in the rerun primary has been seen as a boost to his chances of winning the election. The PDP is hoping to wrestle power from the ruling APC in Gombe State.
Key points
- Isa Pantami wins PDP rerun primary for 2027 Gombe State governorship election with 2,054 votes
- The rerun primary was necessitated by a court ruling that nullified the initial primary that produced Mr Pantami as the candidate
- Mr Pantami is expected to face stiff competition in the 2027 election as the PDP governorship candidate
