Oct 12, 2026

Pantami Demands INEC Restore His Name as PDP Gombe Governorship Candidate

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in politics

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Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has formally demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) immediately publish his name as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Gombe State governorship election in 2027.

In a strongly worded letter dated 12 October 2026 and addressed to the INEC Chairman, Pantami’s legal team accused the Commission of an “unlawful and unexplained omission” of his name from the final list of candidates released on 10 October.

The letter, signed by a team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria including Ahmed Raji, SAN, A.T. Kehinde, SAN, Abdul Mohammed, SAN, Wale Balogun, SAN and Chief Tunde Falola, gives INEC until Wednesday, 14 October 2026, to correct the omission and publish Pantami’s name with the same prominence given to other candidates.

According to the solicitors, 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 the PDP governorship primary on 26 May 2026.

His personal particulars were submitted to INEC on 8 August and his name appeared on the provisional list published on 29 August.

Two suits challenging his membership and eligibility were filed at the Federal High Court in Gombe. In judgments delivered on 24 September 2026, the court resolved the membership questions in Pantami’s favour.

The judges held that membership of a political party is primarily an internal affair of the party and that the PDP recognized him as a member.

However, the court nullified the 26 May primary on procedural grounds and ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh primary within 30 days, allowing all previously cleared aspirants to participate.

The PDP complied, held the court-ordered primary on 29 September 2026 under INEC monitoring, and Pantami emerged the winner once again. His name was then resubmitted to the Commission.

The lawyers argue that the removal of a nominated candidate’s name is exclusively a judicial function and that INEC’s role is limited to observing, monitoring, and reporting on primaries, not disqualifying candidates.

They cite Supreme Court and Court of Appeal decisions supporting this position.

The final list released by INEC on 10 October contained 16 governorship candidates for Gombe State but no PDP candidate. The development has raised concerns among Pantami’s supporters and within the PDP in the state.

Pantami’s legal team insists the Commission, as an impartial electoral umpire, must take immediate corrective action in line with the rule of law and existing judicial orders. They have requested written confirmation of the steps taken to resolve the matter.