Pantami secures PDP governorship ticket in Gombe after defecting from APC

Isa Ali Pantami, a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State ahead of the 2027 elections, following his recent defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Pantami secured the party’s ticket through a voice affirmation during the PDP governorship primary held in Gombe on Tuesday, ending days of controversy surrounding his entry into the race.

Chairman of the PDP Electoral Panel, Gregory Yenlong, declared Pantami the sole aspirant and subsequently announced him as the party’s flag bearer for the forthcoming governorship election.

Speaking after his emergence, Pantami said his decision to contest was driven by a desire to serve the people of Gombe State, pledging to run an inclusive administration anchored on fairness, justice and accountability if elected governor in 2027.

His emergence sets the stage for a high-profile contest against Jamilu Gwamna, who earlier secured the APC governorship ticket.

Pantami’s victory in the PDP primary comes weeks after he publicly rejected the APC’s consensus arrangement that produced Gwamna as the party’s candidate. Although he initially advocated for a competitive primary election, he later withdrew from the APC governorship race on the eve of the exercise, citing concerns over a lack of transparency in the process.

His subsequent move to the PDP, however, sparked opposition within the party. Four PDP governorship aspirants—Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, Usman Aliyu Garry and Monica Kaltho—had warned against what they described as attempts to “smuggle” the former minister into the party’s governorship contest.

In a communiqué issued after an emergency meeting in Gombe on Sunday, the aspirants argued that a candidate who had participated in another party’s primary process should not be allowed to contest the same electoral cycle under a different platform. While affirming their openness to new members joining the PDP, they insisted that party rules and electoral laws should be respected.

Despite the objections, PDP stakeholders rallied behind Pantami during Tuesday’s primary, handing him the party’s ticket and positioning him as one of the major contenders in what is expected to be a fiercely contested governorship race in Gombe State.

Political observers believe Pantami’s entry into the PDP has significantly altered the state’s political landscape, setting up a keen battle between two prominent figures ahead of the 2027 governorship election.