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The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State has announced Professor Ali Isa Ibrahim Pantami as its gubernatorial candidate for the 2027 general elections.
This development may have heightened the crises within the party over what some four prominent aspirants described as ‘smuggling of Pantami into the PDP’, when they had earlier protested his entry to contest the Governorship ticket of the party.
The four PDP Governorship aspirants who protested Pantami’s entry are Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, Ahmed Khamisu Mailantarki, Usman Aliyu Gary, and Monica Yahaya Kaltho.
Pantami was among the frontline Governorship aspirants in the All Progressive Congress (APC) until he backed out of the contest a day before the primary election, citing disaffection over the sincerity of the primary election committee to conduct a free and fair election.
However, Pantami’s emergence followed an affirmation declaration by the Chairman of the PDP Governorship Primary Committee for Gombe State, Mr. Greg Yenlong, during the primary in Gombe.
According to Yenlong, the primary elections were held across the three senatorial districts, with Gombe North recording 16,781 votes, Gombe Central 12,752 votes, and Gombe South recording 23,422 votes in favour of Professor Pantami.
He explained that overall, Professor Pantami scored 52,955 votes to emerge as the PDP’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
Reacting to his emergence, Professor Pantami pledged to tackle poverty across the State and restore the party’s legacy of development.
He told party stakeholders and supporters that his candidacy represents “a collective vision” rather than an individual ambition.
He said, “This moment is not just about an individual; it is about our shared commitment to justice, unity, development, and inclusive governance for all the people of Gombe State”.
The former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy appealed to Gombe voters to support him as he vowed to govern without favouritism towards any tribe, religion, or political affiliation.
In his words, “our concern is not about serving a particular group, Local Government, or community alone. Our mission is to serve the entire eleven Local Government Areas of Gombe State without discrimination.”
Professor Pantami was equally blunt about the poverty level in the State, citing national development indicators that project poverty as a “major challenge” confronting families in Gombe. He also pointed out that unemployment has remained dangerously high among young people.
“Our administration intends to confront these realities directly,” he emphasized, while outlining a policy agenda focused on smart agriculture, foreign investment, public-private partnerships, and large-scale skills acquisition.
