- Prof. Isa Ali Pantami issued a three-day ultimatum to INEC after his name was left off the final 2027 Gombe governorship candidates list
- Pantami's lawyers said he won a fresh PDP primary on September 29, 2026, monitored by INEC officials, after a court ordered the party to rerun
- INEC published the final list on October 10, 2026, without including Pantami's name and gave no reason for the omission
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Former Communications and Digital Economy Minister Prof. Isa Ali Pantami has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) until Wednesday, October 14, 2026, to restore his name to the list of cleared candidates for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election.
His legal team, Ahmed Raji & Co., sent a letter dated October 12, 2026, to the INEC Chairman, demanding that the commission officially recognise Pantami as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the governorship seat.
How Pantami got to this point
According to the letter, Pantami is a registered PDP member at Pantami Ward in Gombe State. He purchased the party's Expression of Interest and Nomination forms, was screened and cleared, and won an initial PDP primary held on May 26, 2026.
The PDP subsequently submitted his personal particulars, Form EC9, to INEC on August 8, 2026, and his name appeared on a list published by the commission on August 29, 2026, as required under Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act.
Two suits were later filed at the Federal High Court in Gombe challenging the May 26 primary and questioning whether Pantami was a legitimate PDP member. The court delivered judgments on September 24, 2026, ruling in Pantami's favour on the membership question.
As the lead counsel, Ahmed Raji, SAN, noted in the letter, the court held that the absence of Pantami's name in an exhibit tendered before it was not conclusive proof of non-membership, since party membership is ordinarily a domestic affair of the party.
However, the court nullified the May 26 primary over procedural concerns about how it was conducted, and directed the PDP to run a fresh primary within 30 days, open to all aspirants who had been cleared on May 14, 2026.
Fresh primary conducted, INEC officials present
The lawyers said the PDP complied fully with the court order, notified INEC in advance, and held the fresh primary on September 29, 2026. INEC officials were present to monitor the exercise, and Pantami again emerged as winner.
Despite this, when INEC published its final list of candidates on October 10, 2026, Pantami's name was absent, with no explanation given by the commission.
"We have our Client's firm and unequivocal instructions to demand that the Commission, on or before Wednesday, October 14, publish and circulate the name of Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim as the candidate of the PDP for the office of Governor of Gombe State," the letter read.
The legal firm urged INEC to act immediately and to confirm in writing what steps it had taken to resolve the matter.
Source: Legit.ng