Pantami Missing From INEC’s Final Gombe Governorship Candidate List

Isa Pantami’s name is absent from the final list of candidates for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday, October 10.

The omission comes shortly after Pantami won the PDP’s court-ordered governorship primary rerun, securing 2,054 votes to emerge again as the party’s candidate.

The reason for his absence from the final list was not stated.

Omission Follows Court-Ordered Primary Rerun

Pantami’s nomination had previously faced a legal challenge. On September 24, the Federal High Court in Gombe nullified the earlier process that produced him and ordered a fresh primary.

The PDP subsequently conducted another contest, which Pantami won ahead of Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry.

The earlier court ruling concerned the validity of the primary process and did not permanently bar Pantami from contesting a fresh exercise.

Membership Register Questions Remain

The latest omission comes amid debate over a separate Supreme Court judgment concerning party membership registers and eligibility to participate in primaries.

The Bureau Journal previously examined those issues in its report on the Supreme Court decision and membership requirements for 2027 nominations.

However, no explanation accompanying the final list established that the Supreme Court judgment was the reason for Pantami’s omission.

Political Realignments in Gombe

Pantami’s governorship bid has unfolded alongside changes within political structures in Gombe.

In August, his former adviser on Youth Leadership and Community Engagement, Muhammad Buhari Dalhatu, resigned and declared support for APC candidate Jamil Isyaku Gwamna.

The PDP also experienced another departure when its state youth leader, Jamilu Ali Kalshingi, resigned amid plans to join the APC and support Gwamna.

Adebutu Also Absent

Ladi Adebutu’s name was also missing from the final Ogun State governorship candidate list, while INEC listed Kingsley Chinda as the APC candidate in Rivers State.

For Pantami and his supporters, the immediate question remains why his name was omitted following his victory in the PDP rerun.

No response explaining the omission from Pantami, the PDP or INEC was included in the account.