Isa Ali Pantami wins Gombe PDP governorship rerun primary

Professor Isa Ali Pantami, the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election. This victory follows a court-ordered rerun primary conducted on September 29, after a Federal High Court nullified the party’s initial selection process.

In the fresh ballot-based primary held across 11 local government areas, Pantami secured 2,054 votes. His challengers, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry, received 389 and 112 votes, respectively.

The rerun has triggered internal party friction. The PDP suspended Mailantarki and Garry for one month following allegations of misconduct and anti-party activities, specifically citing Mailantarki’s claims that he had won the primary. Additionally, Mailantarki has rejected the results, alleging that Pantami was ineligible due to prior membership in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a separate political development, Sadiq Abubakar, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate, has challenged Pantami to a public debate to discuss policy and governance for Gombe State.