Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami has won the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary rerun in Gombe State, securing 2,054 votes and emerging as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
The former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy defeated Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, who polled 389 votes, and Usman Aliyu Garry, who scored 112 votes in the fresh primary conducted across the state on Tuesday.
The result means Pantami has now secured the PDP governorship ticket for a second time, after a Federal High Court judgment nullified the process through which he initially emerged as the party’s candidate.
The rerun was held in compliance with the court order delivered on September 24 by the Federal High Court sitting in Gombe.
Pantami Secures 2,054 Votes in Fresh Primary
The PDP primary was conducted across Gombe State’s 11 local government areas, with the three cleared aspirants contesting the fresh exercise.
Pantami emerged with 2,054 votes, representing about 80.4 per cent of the 2,555 votes recorded from the exercise based on the figures announced.
Mailantarki finished second with 389 votes, while Garry received 112 votes.
The result was announced by the chairman of the PDP Governorship Primary Rerun Committee, Johnbull Shekarau, following the collation of votes.
The outcome restores Pantami as the PDP’s candidate after the party was compelled to repeat its earlier nomination process.
Why PDP Had to Conduct Another Primary
The fresh contest became necessary after the Federal High Court in Gombe nullified Pantami’s earlier emergence as the PDP governorship candidate.
Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed, in the September 24 judgment, ordered the PDP to conduct another governorship primary within 30 days.
The case followed challenges brought by Mailantarki and Garry over the procedure through which Pantami emerged from the party’s May primary.
The court held that the earlier process failed to comply with the PDP’s internal rules and applicable electoral provisions, particularly in relation to aspirants who had been screened and cleared but were excluded from the exercise.
The Bureau Journal had previously reported the court decision in its story on the nullification of Pantami’s first PDP ticket and the order for a fresh primary.
From Voice Affirmation to a Fresh Ballot
Pantami’s first emergence under the PDP came at the party’s May 26 governorship primary, where he was selected through voice affirmation.
He had joined the PDP after withdrawing from the APC governorship race in Gombe State, following the emergence of Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna as the APC’s candidate.
The initial PDP process subsequently became the subject of litigation, with rival aspirants arguing that the procedure did not amount to a valid primary conducted in accordance with the party’s rules and electoral requirements.
The latest development therefore gives Pantami a different route to the same destination: this time, his nomination followed a court-ordered fresh primary in which Mailantarki and Garry were also cleared to participate.
Court Did Not Disqualify Pantami
Although the Federal High Court nullified the earlier primary, it did not grant requests seeking to permanently prevent Pantami from contesting on the PDP platform.
The court’s order was focused on the validity of the earlier primary process and the need for the party to conduct another exercise in accordance with its rules and the applicable electoral framework.
That distinction became important after the judgment, as Pantami’s legal representatives maintained that the ruling did not bar him from participating in a fresh primary.
The PDP subsequently cleared Pantami, Mailantarki and Garry to contest the September 29 rerun.
Gombe’s 2027 Contest Takes Another Turn
Pantami’s victory comes as political activity continues to intensify in Gombe ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The PDP ticket now places Pantami back at the centre of the opposition party’s governorship campaign after weeks of uncertainty surrounding its candidate.
His emergence also adds another chapter to a contest already marked by political realignments involving the major parties.
The Bureau Journal previously reported that former PDP governorship candidate Ahmed Yayari left the party and backed APC candidate Jamil Gwamna.
Another development saw Gombe PDP Youth Leader Jamilu Ali Kalshingi resign from the party amid plans to join the APC and support Gwamna.
The Bureau Journal also reported the defection of ADC State Secretary Ahmed Gana to the APC and his support for Gwamna, while members of the late Governor Abubakar Habu Hashidu’s political family have also publicly backed the APC candidate.
Meanwhile, another former adviser to Pantami resigned his position and declared support for Gwamna, adding to the political movements surrounding the Gombe governorship race.
The development was reported by The Bureau Journal in its story on another Pantami aide who resigned and backed Gwamna.
Pantami Emerges From the Rerun
For the PDP, Tuesday’s exercise brings an end, at least for now, to the legal uncertainty surrounding its governorship nomination in Gombe.
Pantami has emerged from the fresh process with a new mandate from the party’s delegates after his first nomination was set aside by the Federal High Court.
His victory means the former minister will once again carry the PDP flag into the 2027 Gombe governorship contest, this time after defeating the two aspirants who had challenged the earlier process.
The legal and political questions that surrounded his first emergence have therefore given way to a new phase of the contest: the campaign for the 2027 governorship election itself.
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