Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Gombe State in the 2027 election. He won the party's repeat primary conducted across the state on Tuesday, polling 2,024 votes. This victory comes after a Federal High Court judgment nullified his earlier emergence and directed the PDP to conduct another governorship primary.
The fresh primary was conducted across 114 political wards in the 11 local government areas of Gombe State. Pantami defeated former member of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Khamisu Mailantarki, who secured 389 votes, and former member of the Gombe State House of Assembly, Usman Aliyu Garry, who scored 112 votes. The primary was supervised by the Chairman of the Primary Election Committee from the party's national headquarters in Abuja, Johnbull Shekarau.
The court-ordered rerun was necessary due to a challenge by Garry, who argued that Pantami's initial emergence through voice affirmation did not amount to a valid governorship primary. The Federal High Court in Gombe, presided over by Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed, nullified Pantami's earlier emergence and ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh primary. This decision reopened the contest, allowing Pantami to compete with Mailantarki and Garry once again.
Pantami's emergence comes after a major political realignment earlier in the year. He had initially sought the governorship ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe but withdrew after the APC settled on Jamilu Gwamna as its consensus candidate. Pantami subsequently joined the PDP and entered the opposition party's governorship contest. His movement into the PDP generated considerable political attention in Gombe due to his previous association with the APC and his prominence as Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.
Following the conclusion of the repeat primary, former Gombe State Governor and Senator representing Gombe North, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, called on members of the PDP to close ranks behind whoever emerged from the exercise. Dankwambo urged party members to support the candidate produced by the primary, stressing that the ability of the PDP to remain united would be important to its performance in the 2027 election.
Pantami's latest victory returns him to the position of PDP governorship candidate after his first emergence was overturned by the court. He will now face the wider electoral contest if his nomination survives any subsequent legal challenges and the relevant electoral processes. His campaign will unfold against the backdrop of an increasingly competitive political environment in Gombe, where the APC and PDP are expected to intensify their preparations ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The former minister is now expected to consolidate his position within the PDP and begin preparations for the wider election. His political programme is likely to focus on issues including governance, economic development, digital transformation, education, employment, and public-sector reform. Pantami has already held engagements with retired senior civil servants and former Heads of Service in Gombe, discussing challenges affecting the state civil service and proposals for reform.
Key points
- Pantami wins PDP governorship primary in Gombe with 2,024 votes.
- The primary was a repeat exercise ordered by a Federal High Court judgment.
- Pantami will face a competitive electoral environment in Gombe for the 2027 governorship election.
