Pantami vows to name those he says are plotting against his Gombe governorship bid
- Isa Pantami says investigations have confirmed plots to stop his Gombe governorship ambition.
- He spoke after INEC excluded his name from the final candidate list for 2027.
- Pantami urged supporters to keep praying and said he will soon expose the plotters.
Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, has said he will soon name those he believes are working to stop his bid to become governor of Gombe State.
Pantami, who is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the state, made the claim in a video posted on his verified Facebook page on Saturday. He did not name anyone or provide evidence.
His comments come after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) left his name off its final list of governorship candidates for the 2027 elections.
INEC had earlier listed him in the August 2026 version, but the updated list released this month did not include him. The commission asked parties that believed their candidates were wrongly excluded to complain by October 24, 2026.
Pantami's lawyers had given INEC three days to restore his name, saying he met all requirements. INEC maintained that candidates not on the final list remained excluded.
How the candidacy ran into trouble
Pantami left the All Progressives Congress (APC) after it picked Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna as its consensus governorship candidate in Gombe. He then joined the PDP and won its primary on May 26, 2026.
Another aspirant, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, challenged the primary in court. A Federal High Court in Gombe nullified the exercise and ordered a fresh primary, which Pantami won again.
His candidacy was later thrown into doubt by a September 24 Supreme Court judgment on the rules for nominating candidates. The ruling barred parties from fielding candidates whose names were not in the membership register submitted to INEC on time.
In the video, Pantami thanked Gombe residents for organising prayers in mosques and churches for him. He said their support had strengthened his resolve and urged them not to be discouraged by critics.
"Our investigations have now confirmed that these allegations are true. There is no amount of money or effort that has not been expended in an attempt to scuttle this movement," he said.
He also warned those mocking his supporters for praying, saying such mockery could bring calamity. He insisted that no one can stop what God has destined.
Pantami has described his exclusion from INEC's list as a temporary setback and said the issue would be resolved.
What happens next
INEC's deadline for complaints has passed. It is not clear whether the commission will review any new submissions or whether Pantami will go to court.
Pantami says he will soon release details of what he calls the plot against him. Until then, his name remains off the list, and his supporters are waiting to see how the party and the courts handle the matter.
