The immediate past Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, has emerged as the 2027 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State shortly after decamping from the APC.
Pantami was selected through voice affirmation during the party’s primary election held on Tuesday in Gombe. He was subsequently declared the sole aspirant by the Chairman of the PDP Electoral Panel, Gregory Yenlong.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters in a video circulating online and posted by Nigerian Affairs Journal, Yenlong said, “I declare Prof. Isa Aliu Pantami the duly elected and sole gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in the state.”
After his emergence, Pantami said he joined the race to offer service to the people of the state. He pledged that, if elected in 2027, he would govern with fairness and justice.
He said, “I contested for the seat to offer service to the people of the state. If I am elected, I promise that my administration will prioritise equity and good governance.”
Pantami is expected to face the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Jamilu Gwamna, in the 2027 election in Gombe State.
Last Tuesday, the former minister withdrew from APC governorship primary election in Gombe State, citing alleged violations of the Electoral Act 2026 and irregularities in the party’s electoral process that produced Gwamna.
Legal Issues
However, following the APC primaries, four PDP governorship aspirants raised concerns over what they described as attempts to bring Pantami into the PDP governorship race.
In a communiqué issued after an emergency meeting on Sunday in Gombe, the aspirants — Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, Hon. Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, Hon. Usman Aliyu Garry and Mrs Monica Kaltho said the law did not permit a candidate to defect from one political party to another and subsequently contest the same election after votes had already been cast and counted in his favour in another party’s primaries.
The aspirants said they welcomed all well-meaning individuals into the PDP but strongly objected to any attempt to involve a person who had already participated in another party’s primaries.
Pantami’s case seems to be the first major test for the 2026 electoral act as INEC guidelines state that parties must submit their membership registers not later than 21 days before their respective primaries.
This means that the final deadline for the submission of political parties’ registers of members is extended to 10th May 2026, from the 21st April 2026 originally contained in the revised timetable.
Judging from this Pantami ought to have being a PDP member as at May 5 to have been eligible to contest the PDP Gombe governorship primaries. It is therefore highly doubtful that Pantami and the PDP adhered to this guideline.
