How Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami Was Smuggled Into PDP To Be Guber Candidate— Aggrieved aspirant

How Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami Was Smuggled Into PDP To Be Guber Candidate— Aggrieved aspirant

 

OpenLife Nigeria reports that the emergence of Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami as the Peoples Democratic governorship candidate in Gombe 2027 general election has been rejected by an aggrieved aspirant.

Professor Pantami who is the immediate past Minister of Communication and Digital Economy in APC led government under President Bola has joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and clinched the governorship ticket of the party.

Pantami emerged as the PDP governorship candidate through a voice affirmation during the party’s primary election held on Tuesday.

He was declared as the sole aspirant by Hon. Gregory Yenlong, the Chairman of the PDP Electoral Panel.

Previously, Pantami who vied for the 2027 governorship on APC platform kicked against the process which produced Jamilu Gwamna as consensus candidate of the APC.
He had opted for primaries but pulled out of the exercise on the eve of the election, alleging lack of transparency.

Days after the primaries of the APC, four gubernatorial aspirants of the PDP raised the alarm that there was an attempt to smuggle Pantami into the PDP gubernatorial race.

In a communique issued after an emergency meeting Sunday in Gombe, the aspirants; Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, ⁠Hon. Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, Hon. Usman Aliyu Garry and Mrs ⁠Monica Kaltho, said the law did not permit a candidate to defect from one political party to another and subsequently contest the same election process after votes have already been cast and counted in his favour in another party’s primaries.

The aspirants said they welcomed every well-meaning individual into the PDP, but strongly object to any attempt to involve a person who already contested primaries in another party.
However, one of the governorship aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State, Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, has rejected the emergence of Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami as the party’s governorship candidate.

Addressing journalists at his residence in Gombe, Saleh described Pantami’s emergence as unfair to other aspirants who, according to him, purchased nomination forms and participated in the processes outlined by the party.

He said the primary election earlier scheduled for Sunday was postponed to Tuesday, adding that he was surprised to learn that Pantami had emerged as the party’s candidate.
“While we were waiting for the primary election to be conducted last Sunday, it was suddenly announced that it was moved to Tuesday.

“Without any explanation from the party leadership, we woke up this morning to the news that Isa Pantami had emerged as the PDP governorship candidate,” he said.

Saleh also questioned Pantami’ s participation in the PDP primary, alleging that he had earlier contested in the APC governorship primary conducted on May 21, 2026.

He said he would challenge the outcome of the primary election in court and urged his supporters to remain calm and law-abiding while his legal team pursues the matter.

“I condemn in the strongest terms what I consider an injustice against me and other aspirants. My legal team is already working on the matter, and we will seek redress through the appropriate legal channels,” he stated.