Nigeria Omits Pantami From 16-Name Gombe Governor List
NIGERIA · ELECTIONS
Key Facts
- —What happened INEC’s final Gombe list, published Saturday, 10 October, omits Pantami.
- —The candidate Former communications minister, opposition PDP nominee after a court-ordered rerun.
- —The list 16 candidates cleared, none from the Peoples Democratic Party.
- —The reason INEC gave none; a Supreme Court register ruling looms.
- —The vote Governorship election on Saturday, 6 February 2027; presidential on 16 January.
- —Still open Pantami’s camp says lawyers are working with INEC on a fix.
A court-ordered rerun handed Pantami the opposition ticket again on 29 September, yet his name is missing from the commission’s final list.
Nigeria’s electoral commission has left former communications minister Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami off its final list for the Gombe governorship race. The list, published on Saturday, 10 October, clears 16 candidates for the 6 February 2027 vote and names nobody from Pantami’s party.
Pantami, a minister under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, is the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nominee in the north-eastern state. The commission gave no reason, and his camp says the omission can still be corrected.
The case matters beyond Gombe because a fresh Supreme Court ruling on party membership registers now hangs over candidates across Nigeria. Nigerians elect a president on 16 January, three weeks before governorship polls in 28 states.
What the Final Gombe Governorship List Shows
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which runs Nigeria’s elections, posted the three-page Gombe governorship list on its website. It is signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony, and the file’s metadata shows it was created on Saturday afternoon.
The list names 16 candidates for governor and their running mates, with ages and qualifications. All 16 candidates for governor are men, and two of the running mates are women.
Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna, 60, stands for the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party of President Bola Tinubu. Zubairu Mu’azu Halilu, 66, runs for the Labour Party, which carried Peter Obi’s 2023 presidential bid.
Pantami’s name appeared on INEC’s provisional list of 29 August, Aminiya and Premium Times reported. Neither he nor any other PDP candidate is on the final version.
Aminiya, the Hausa-language paper of the Daily Trust group, reported the omission on Saturday evening. INEC’s documents do not state why some candidates were left out, Premium Times noted.
Two Rulings on Thursday, 24 September
On Thursday, 24 September, the Federal High Court in Gombe annulled the PDP primary that first made Pantami its nominee. Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed ruled on a suit by rival aspirant Usman Aliyu Garry, Arise News reported.
The court found the May process breached PDP rules and the Electoral Act, and ordered a new primary within 30 days. It refused, however, to disqualify Pantami over claims he was still an APC member, TheNigeriaLawyer reported.
The rerun took place on Tuesday, 29 September. Pantami won with 2,054 votes, ahead of Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Garry, according to Aminiya.
The same day, the Supreme Court ruled for INEC in a case brought by the small Zenith Labour Party. A seven-member panel led by Justice Adamu Jauro restored sections 77(5), (6), (7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026.
The Court of Appeal had struck those provisions down in July.
Section 77(5) lets only members listed on a register filed with INEC at least 21 days before a primary take part. Under section 77(7), a party that misses that deadline cannot field a candidate in the election concerned.
INEC commissioner Mohammed Haruna told Trust TV, per Aminiya, that the ruling bars candidates missing from registers filed on time. Pantami’s challengers argue he was not on the PDP register submitted to INEC within the legal period.
From the APC Ballot to the PDP Ticket
Pantami left the APC for the PDP on 19 May, Aminiya and Premium Times reported. The PDP governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015 and is now in opposition.
His name stayed on the APC primary ballot even after he submitted a withdrawal letter, Sahara Reporters reported on 21 May. Gwamna won that primary with 247,161 votes, against 12,120 recorded for Pantami.
On 29 September, Gombe PDP spokesman Abdulkadir Ahmed Dukku said the party knew of no Supreme Court judgment barring Pantami. Some challengers have appealed and asked the courts to stop any primary involving him, TheNigeriaLawyer reported.
Gombe is not the only state where the PDP has no listed candidate. In Ogun, in the south-west, the final list of 13 omits PDP nominee Ladi Adebutu, Premium Times reported.
Two civic groups had alleged that Adebutu was missing from the PDP register filed with INEC, a claim the Ogun PDP denies. The APC’s Kingsley Chinda remains on the Rivers list despite questions over when he joined the party.
Pantami’s Camp Calls It a Temporary Challenge
A statement on Pantami’s verified Facebook page called the omission “a temporary challenge and a normal part of the electoral process”. The 10 October statement was signed by Professor Suleiman Mohammed Gombe for the PDP leadership and the Pantamiyya Movement, Premium Times reported.
The statement said legal and liaison teams were seeking “full compliance and rectification within the window provided by law”. It blamed people “working behind the scenes” and told supporters that “this matter will be resolved”.
What It Means for US Readers
Nigeria’s presidential vote on 16 January is the main event for US investors, lenders and diplomats. Fights over who may stand can move into the courts and cloud a campaign season that markets follow.
The restored section 77 gives INEC a sharp tool to enforce party membership rules nationwide. Both prominent omissions reported so far by Nigerian media are PDP nominees, a point the opposition is likely to raise.
For travellers, the US State Department advises against all travel to Gombe State because of unrest, crime and kidnapping. Its Nigeria advisory, issued on 12 June 2026, rates the country as a whole at Level 3, Reconsider Travel.
What Is Not Known
INEC has not said why Pantami was left off the Gombe governorship list. It is unclear whether the court-ordered rerun on 29 September came too late for the commission’s timetable.
Submissions of nomination forms for these races closed on 26 September, three days before the rerun, TheNigeriaLawyer reported. Whether Pantami’s name is on the PDP membership register filed with INEC has not been confirmed.
Pantami has not commented in person; the response came in a statement from his camp. The status of the challengers’ appeal and their request to halt the rerun is also not known.
What Comes Next
Under section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, a party has 14 days to tell INEC in writing of a missing candidate. The notice needs the signatures of its national chairman and secretary and an affidavit, TheNigeriaLawyer reported.
Counted from Saturday, that window would close around 24 October. The omission does not by itself end Pantami’s bid, but for now the PDP has no candidate in the Gombe governorship race.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami?
He is a former Nigerian minister of communications and digital economy who served under the late President Muhammadu Buhari. He left the APC for the PDP in May to run for governor of Gombe State.
Why Was Pantami Left Off the Gombe List?
INEC has not given a reason. A Gombe court annulled his first primary on 24 September, and the Supreme Court restored strict membership-register rules on the same day.
When Is the Gombe Governorship Election?
INEC has set governorship and state assembly elections for Saturday, 6 February 2027. The presidential and National Assembly elections come first, on Saturday, 16 January 2027.
Can Pantami Still Get on the Ballot?
His camp says it is working with party organs and INEC to fix the omission within the legal window. Parties have 14 days after publication to report a missing candidate to INEC.
Is Gombe Safe for American Visitors?
The US State Department tells Americans not to travel to Gombe State, citing unrest, crime and kidnapping. Nigeria as a whole is rated Level 3, Reconsider Travel.
Sources: INEC, Final List of Candidates: Gombe State Governorship Election; INEC, Election Calendar; Aminiya (Hausa); Premium Times, Gombe list; Premium Times, Pantami camp reaction; Premium Times, Pantami, Adebutu and Chinda; Arise News, Gombe court ruling; Arise News, Supreme Court ruling; TheNigeriaLawyer, Gombe PDP rerun; TheNigeriaLawyer, sections 77 and 84; TheNigeriaLawyer, INEC timetable; Sahara Reporters, APC primary; US State Department, Nigeria Travel Advisory (all accessed 11 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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