Again, Pantami Clinches PDP Gombe Ticket After Court Nullified First Primary

Prof. Isa Ali Pantami has again emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the 2027 governorship election in Gombe State after winning the party’s fresh primary election.

Pantami had previously secured the PDP ticket, but a Federal High Court last Thursday nullified the primary and ordered the party to conduct a fresh exercise.

The rerun primary was held on Tuesday across the 114 wards in the state’s 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs).

Announcing the result, Chairman of the PDP Governorship Primary Election Committee, Johnbull Tiemlong Shekarau, said 2,555 accredited delegates participated in the exercise.

Shekarau said Pantami polled 2,054 votes to defeat the two other aspirants.

Former member of the House of Representatives, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, came second with 389 votes, while Usman Aliyu Garry secured 112 votes to emerge as the second runner-up.

Declaring the result, Shekarau 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 Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2027 general elections.”

He commended the PDP leadership at the national and state levels for supporting the conduct of the primary, while also praising members of the election committee and security agencies for their roles in ensuring a peaceful exercise.

Shekarau also appreciated Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo for providing leadership and support during the exercise.

In his acceptance speech, Pantami commended party members for conducting themselves peacefully and called on Mailantarki and Garry to work with him towards the success of all PDP candidates in the 2027 general elections.

He pledged that, if elected, his administration would provide what he described as purposeful leadership and “rescue the state from years of mis-governance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.”