INEC lists 16 candidates for Gombe governorship race, omits PDP’s Pantami
Pantami emerged as the PDP candidate in a fresh primary election in September, after a court voided his earlier nomination. The post INEC lists 16 candidates for Gombe governorship race, omits PDP’s Pantami appeared…
The dispute centres on who the Peoples Democratic Party's legitimate candidate is for Gombe State's February 2027 governorship election. Isa Ali Pantami, a former federal minister of communications, had his nomination voided by a court before emerging as the party's candidate again in a fresh primary held in September. Despite this, INEC's published list of 16 cleared candidates for the race did not include his name, raising questions about whether the commission recognises the outcome of that re-run primary.
The omission fits a wider pattern of candidate disputes trailing opposition parties ahead of the 2027 polls, with BusinessDay noting a similar exclusion of PDP's Ladi Adebutu in Ogun State. Such disagreements between INEC's candidate lists and party primary outcomes often end up in court, as the commission is guided by valid court orders and submissions from party leaderships, which can shift after internal contests or litigation. The coverage so far confirms the omission and Pantami's reaction, but does not yet detail INEC's official explanation or whether PDP intends to challenge the decision.