By Adesakin Adefemi
Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami has emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate for Gombe State ahead of the 2027 elections.
Pantami was selected through voice affirmation during the PDP primary held on Tuesday in Gombe. Party stakeholders at the venue in the state capital endorsed him as the sole aspirant.
Chairman of the PDP Electoral Panel, Gregory Yenlong, declared Pantami the duly elected candidate after the affirmation. “I declare, Prof. Isa Aliu Pantami, the duly elected and sole gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in the state,” he told supporters in a video posted by Nigerian Affairs Journal.
Speaking after his emergence, Pantami said he joined the race to offer service to the people of Gombe. He pledged that, if elected in 2027, his administration would prioritise equity and good governance.
“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 said.
The former minister had quit the All Progressives Congress last week, citing alleged violations of the Electoral Act 2026 and irregularities in the party’s governorship primary. He opposed the consensus process that produced Jamilu Gwamna as the APC candidate.
Pantami is now set to face Gwamna in the 2027 Gombe governorship election. His defection to the PDP has reshaped the political landscape in the state ahead of the polls.
The development comes amid opposition from four PDP governorship aspirants who had earlier raised concerns over Pantami’s entry into the race. In a communiqué on Sunday, Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, Hon. Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, Hon. Usman Aliyu Garry and Mrs Monica Kaltho argued that the law did not permit a candidate to contest the same election after participating in another party’s primaries.
Despite the objections, the party proceeded with Pantami’s affirmation. The PDP in Gombe will now rally behind him as it seeks to unseat the APC in the 2027 election.
