BREAKING: Ex-Minister Pantami defects to PDP from ruling party, emerges Gombe guber candidate

Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and secured the party’s governorship ticket for the 2027 election in Gombe State.

Pantami emerged as the PDP candidate through a voice affirmation during the party’s primary election held in Gombe on Tuesday.

Chairman of the PDP Electoral Panel, Gregory Yenlong, declared him the sole aspirant and subsequently returned him as the party’s flag bearer.

Speaking after his emergence, Pantami said his decision to seek the governorship seat was driven by a desire to serve the people of Gombe State.

He pledged to govern with fairness, justice and inclusiveness if elected in the 2027 governorship election.

His emergence sets up a contest with Jamilu Gwamna, who earlier secured the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Pantami had previously criticised the process that produced Gwamna as the APC’s consensus candidate. He initially advocated for a primary election but withdrew on the eve of the exercise, alleging a lack of transparency in the process.

His move to the PDP was not without controversy. Following his defection, four PDP governorship aspirants—Alhaji Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, Hon. Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, Hon. Usman Aliyu Garry and Mrs. Monica Kaltho—raised concerns over what they described as attempts to “smuggle” Pantami into the race.

In a communiqué issued after an emergency meeting in Gombe, the aspirants argued that a candidate who had participated in another party’s primary election should not be allowed to contest the same electoral cycle under a different political platform.

While affirming that the PDP remained open to new members, they maintained that Pantami’s participation in the governorship race raised questions about the integrity of the process.

Despite the objections, PDP stakeholders endorsed Pantami, paving the way for his emergence as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Gombe State.

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