Pantami insisted that he is a registered member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Pantami Ward, Gombe State.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate, Prof. Isa Pantami, has demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) add his name to the final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election or face legal consequences.
The former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy issued the warning on Monday via a letter written by his lawyers, led by Ahmed Raji (SAN), and addressed to INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan.
Earlier, INEC, whilst publishing its final list of candidates for the 6 February 2027 governorship election, left out Pantami’s name as the PDP gubernatorial candidate for Gombe State.
The list, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony and published on the electoral umpire’s website on Saturday, shows 16 candidates in Gombe, but the former Minister was conspicuously missing.
Following the development, an aide to Pantami, Professor Suleiman Mohammed Gombe, clarified that the PDP gubernatorial candidate emerged after a fresh primary election conducted on 29 September 2026, in compliance with an order of the Federal High Court.
He noted that the omission is a temporary challenge, adding that it is a “normal part of the electoral process” and “not a final determination.”
However, Pantami’s legal team has now described the omission as unlawful and unexplained, insisting that their client emerged as the party’s candidate in a fresh governorship primary conducted in compliance with court orders.
In the letter jointly signed by Raji, A.T. Kehinde, Abdul Mohammed, Wale Balogun, and Chief Tunde Falola, the lawyers gave INEC until Wednesday, 14 October, to publish Pantami’s name alongside those of other candidates.
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They said Pantami is a registered member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Pantami Ward, Gombe State, and participated in the party’s governorship primary held on 26 May 2026, where he emerged as the winner.
According to the lawyers, the PDP forwarded Pantami’s personal details to INEC on 8 August, and the commission published his name on 29 August without raising any objection at the time.
The letter explained that the 26 May primary was later challenged in two suits before the Federal High Court in Gombe: Suit Nos. FHC/GM/CS/9/2026 and FHC/GM/CS/10/2026.
It said that although the court nullified the primary over the manner in which it was conducted, it ruled in Pantami’s favour on the issues of party membership and eligibility.
Citing the judgment in Suit No. FHC/GM/CS/9/2026, the lawyers quoted the court as saying: “I therefore find that the Plaintiff has not established that the 3rd Defendant was legally incapable of being recognised by the 1st Defendant as its member.”
On the second suit, they quoted the court as saying: “As to PDP membership, even though the 2nd Defendant’s name does not appear in Exhibit A, that fact alone is not conclusive of his non-membership.”
The legal team said the court affirmed the party’s authority to determine its membership, noting that the PDP tendered a membership card and register bearing Pantami’s name.
They added that in its judgments delivered on 24 September, the court ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary within 30 days, in accordance with the Electoral Act, 2026, the party’s constitution, and its guidelines.
According to the lawyers, the court limited its consequential orders to nominations arising from the 26 May primary.
“In compliance with the Court Order, the PDP gave the Commission due notice of the court-ordered primary, and conducted the fresh gubernatorial primary election on Tuesday, the 29th day of September, 2026,” the letter stated.
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