INEC: Pantami Omitted From Gombe Governorship List Despite Court Order

• INEC omitted former Communications Minister Isa Pantami and the PDP from its published list of Gombe State governorship candidates for the 2027 election.
• Pantami had emerged as the PDP's candidate in a fresh primary election held on September 29.
• This fresh primary was conducted following an order issued by the Federal High Court in Gombe.
• The Pantamiyya Movement's spokesperson urged supporters to remain calm, characterizing the omission as a temporary electoral challenge.
• The statement from Pantami's camp did not detail specific legal actions planned to address the exclusion.

The resolution of this dispute could clarify the enforceability of court orders in electoral processes and set precedents for challenging candidate lists in Nigeria.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published its list of governorship candidates for Gombe State ahead of the 2027 election, notably omitting the name of former Communications Minister, Professor Isa Pantami. This exclusion also extended to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), despite Pantami having secured the party's nomination in a fresh primary election held on September 29.

Following the publication of the list on October 10, 2026, Professor Suleiman Mohammed, spokesperson for the Pantamiyya Movement, issued a statement urging supporters of the former minister to maintain calm. Mohammed characterized the omission as a

The fresh primary election that saw Isa Pantami emerge as the PDP's governorship candidate was not a routine party exercise but a direct consequence of a judicial directive. A Federal High Court in Gombe had previously issued an order, necessitating a new primary to properly determine the party's flag-bearer for the 2027 gubernatorial contest. This legal intervention underscores the significance of the subsequent omission by INEC.

Despite the clear judicial mandate leading to Pantami's selection, the electoral body's decision to exclude both him and the PDP from the official candidate list raises questions regarding the implementation of court orders within Nigeria's electoral framework. While candidates from numerous other political parties were duly listed, the specific absence of Pantami and the PDP, particularly after a court-ordered primary, highlights a potential conflict between judicial pronouncements and INEC's administrative actions. The statement from Pantami's camp, however, did not disclose any immediate plans for legal recourse or specific actions to challenge this significant omission.

The INEC Pantami Gombe governorship list omission carries substantial implications for the integrity of Nigeria's electoral process and the enforceability of judicial decisions. This situation, where a candidate nominated through a court-ordered primary is subsequently excluded from the official list, could set a critical precedent for future elections. It challenges the established procedures for candidate listing under Nigeria electoral law and raises concerns about the finality of court judgments in electoral matters.

For the upcoming 2027 election, the resolution of this dispute will be closely watched by legal practitioners and political observers. The manner in which the PDP Gombe candidate omission is addressed, whether through further legal challenges by Isa Pantami or the party, will provide crucial insights into the interplay between the judiciary and the electoral commission. The outcome could clarify the enforceability of court orders in electoral processes and set precedents for challenging candidate lists in Nigeria, thereby influencing how similar disputes are handled in the future.

Lawyers should closely monitor the legal actions taken by Isa Pantami or the PDP to challenge INEC's omission, as the resolution of this dispute could clarify the enforceability of court orders in electoral processes and set precedents for challenging candidate lists in Nigeria.

Source: Original reporting via PUNCH