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Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, has emerged victorious in the fresh Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election conducted across all 11 Local Government Areas of Gombe State.
Pantami secured 817 votes to defeat his main contender, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, who gathered 153 votes, while Usman Aliyu Garry picked up 50 votes.
The rerun election took place on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, in the wake of a Federal High Court ruling that voided the initial nomination process that had declared Pantami as the PDP governorship candidate for the 2027 contest.
The court instructed the PDP to organize a fresh primary within 30 days in strict adherence to the party’s constitution, electoral guidelines, and prevailing legal frameworks.
The three aspirants cleared to participate in the rerun were Pantami, Mailantarki, and Garry.
Pantami originally claimed the PDP ticket in May following a voice affirmation vote.
However, the Federal High Court sitting in Gombe set aside the outcome on September 24 after disgruntled aspirants filed a lawsuit challenging the procedure.
The court ruled that the voice vote failed to comply with established internal party rules and statutory electoral requirements, ordering a transparent repeat exercise.
Responding to the verdict, the PDP scheduled September 29 for the rerun, directing eligible party delegates throughout the state to cast their ballots.
Following Tuesday’s landslide win, Pantami officially reclaims the PDP flag ahead of the 2027 Gombe State governorship election.
The former minister previously headed the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy between 2019 and 2023 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
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