Gombe: Pantami Wins Governorship Primary, Saleh Rejects Win
More standard-bearers of the Peoples Democratic Party for executive and legislative positions have emerged, ahead of the 2027 general election.
Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, on Tuesday, emerged as the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state following his affirmation by party delegates.
Announcing the result, the Chairman of the PDP Gombe Electoral Panel, Gregory Yenlong, declared Pantami the party’s sole candidate and affirmed him in line with the party’s guidelines.
This comes about a week after his withdrawal from the All Progressives Congress primaries in the state.
“Our candidate is Prof Isa Pantami. He is the sole candidate. Based on the guidelines of the election, he obtained the following votes: Gombe North, 16,781; Gombe Central, 12,752; and Gombe South, 23,422,” Yenlong said.
He added, “The total number of votes is 52,955. By the guidelines, it is my singular privilege to present Isa Pantami for affirmation.”
In his acceptance speech, Pantami described his emergence as an opportunity to serve the people rather than pursue personal ambition.
“The acceptance is not about ambition, but rather about serving humanity. The acceptance is not about Isa, but about Gombe State,” he said.
According to him, his administration would ensure fairness and equal treatment for residents across the 11 local government areas of the state.
However, one of the PDP governorship aspirants, Abdulkadir Saleh, rejected Pantami’s emergence as the party’s governorship candidate.
Addressing journalists at his residence in Gombe, Saleh described Pantami’s emergence as unfair to other aspirants who, according to him, purchased nomination forms and participated in the processes outlined by the party.
He said the primary election earlier scheduled for Sunday was postponed to Tuesday, adding that he was surprised to learn that Pantami had emerged as the party’s candidate.
“While we were waiting for the primary election to be conducted last Sunday, it was suddenly announced that it had been moved to Tuesday.
“Without any explanation from the party leadership, we woke up this morning to the news that Isa Pantami had emerged as the PDP governorship candidate,” he said.
Saleh also questioned Pantami’s participation in the PDP primary, alleging that he had earlier contested in the APC governorship primary conducted on May 21, 2026.
He vowed to challenge the outcome of the primary election in court and urged his supporters to remain calm and law-abiding while his legal team pursues the matter.
“I condemn in the strongest terms what I consider an injustice against other aspirants and me. My legal team is already working on the matter, and we will seek redress through the appropriate legal channels,” he stated.
Culled: punchng.com
