The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has omitted the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, from its final list of cleared candidates for the February 6, 2027 Gombe State governorship election.
Pantami, who featured on the provisional candidates’ list published on August 29, was notably absent from the final roster of 16 cleared contenders released by the electoral body.
The cleared candidates include Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bala Bello Tinka of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Babayo Ardo Kumo of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
Other candidates cleared for the contest include Zubairu Mu’azu Halilu (Labour Party), Lamela L. Silas (APM), Ibrahim Jalo Abubakar (PRP), and Adamu Mohammed Ma’aji (SDP).
Pantami’s exclusion follows a series of legal setbacks surrounding his nomination under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which he joined on May 19 after leaving the APC.
Although he won the PDP primary on May 26, a Federal High Court sitting in Gombe nullified the outcome on September 24. Pantami subsequently won a court-ordered rerun on September 29, securing 2,054 votes to defeat Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry.
However, his eligibility was further complicated by a September 24 Supreme Court judgment that restored Sections 77(5), (6), (7), and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026. The ruling effectively bars political parties from fielding candidates whose names were not contained in the official membership registers submitted to INEC within the legally mandated timeframe.
Speaking on the development during a recent appearance on Trust TV’s *Daily Politics*, INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna confirmed that the commission would strictly enforce the apex court’s judgment, noting that non-compliant parties would be disqualified from fielding candidates for the election.
