BY VICTOR BUORO – Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami has reclaimed his spot on the 2027 ballot, clinching the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship ticket for Gombe State in a decisive rerun election held on Tuesday.
The high-stakes voting exercise rolled out across all 114 wards and 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state after a Federal High Court in Gombe nullified Pantami’s previous primary victory just last Thursday.
Consequently, the fresh election became necessary following the Court order that the Party resets the nomination process for the gubernatorial ticket.
However, the swift legal setback notwithstanding, Pantami successfully mobilized grassroots delegates to reaffirm his candidacy, effectively cementing his position as the PDP’s ultimate standard bearer for the upcoming gubernatorial race scheduled for February 6, 2027.
Announcing the primary polls’ result, the Chairman of the PDP Governorship Primary Election Committee, Hon. Johnbull Tiemlong Shekarau, sad a total of 2, 555 accredited members participated in the exercise and Prof Pantami polled 2,054 votes to defeat the two other contestants.
Shekarau also announced that former member of the House of Representatives, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, scored 389 votes to emerge as the first runner-up, while Hon. Usman Aliyu Garry, who polled 112 votes, emerged as second runner-up.
Declaring the winner, Committee Chairman said: “I, Hon. Johnbull Tiemlong Shekarau, hereby declare Isa Ali Pantami as the winner of this primary election and return him as the duly elected governorship candidate of the Peoples Demoratic Party (PDP) for the 2027 general elections.”
Hon Shekarau, who praised the PDP leadership at both national and state levels for their support, which contributed to the successful conduct of the primary election, also appreciated the Election Committee members for their cooperation and commitment, as well as security agencies for ensuring an orderly and peaceful process.
The Committee Chairman also commended Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo for “providing a leadership and support during the exercise”, noting that the party members and the people of Gombe also deserved thanks for their peaceful conduct throughout the exercise.
Accepting his nomination, Prof. Pantami lauded party members for a peaceful vote and urged rivals Khamisu Mailantarki and Garry to unite behind the party’s general election campaign.
He pledged to deliver purposeful leadership and “rescue the state from years of mis-governance under the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.”
