Pantami battles INEC over name omission

A former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, has reacted to the exclusion of his name from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) final list of cleared candidates for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election.

INEC published the final candidate list on Saturday, conspicuously omitting the former minister, who resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in May before defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement signed by Professor Suleiman Mohammed Gombe, the campaign team assured supporters that efforts are ongoing to resolve the issue, describing it as a temporary challenge in the electoral process.

Pantami urged his supporters and members of the Pantamiyya Movement across Gombe and beyond to remain calm.

“We are aware of the people working behind the scenes to frustrate good and responsible leadership in Gombe State”, Pantami.

The former minister’s camp says its legal team is engaging with the electoral umpire to ensure full compliance with an existing court order.

The team expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved shortly and asked supporters to continue their grassroots mobilisation.