Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, has emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Gombe State in the 2027 election after winning the party’s fresh primary.

Pantami secured 2,054 votes in the direct primary conducted across the 11 local government areas of the state on Tuesday.

His challengers, Khamisu Mailantarki and Aliyu Usman Garry, polled 389 and 112 votes respectively.

The results were collated and announced at the PDP state secretariat in Gombe by the Chairman of the Governorship Primary Rerun Committee, Johnbull Shekarau, who declared Pantami the winner.

The exercise was conducted following a Federal High Court judgment that nullified Pantami’s earlier emergence as the PDP candidate and directed the party to conduct a fresh governorship primary.

Justice Amina Aliyu delivered the judgment on September 24, ordering the PDP to hold another primary within 30 days.

The court held that the earlier process did not comply with the party’s internal regulations and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

The case followed legal challenges by PDP governorship aspirants Mailantarki and Garry, who questioned the process through which Pantami emerged at the party’s May 26 primary.

Pantami had initially been declared the PDP candidate through voice affirmation during that exercise.

Following the court ruling, the PDP scheduled the fresh primary for September 29 and cleared Pantami, Mailantarki and Garry to participate.

The court also declined a request seeking Pantami’s disqualification or removal from the PDP over an allegation that he remained a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the time.

With the completion of the rerun, Pantami has now secured the PDP ticket again and is set to represent the party in the 2027 Gombe State governorship election, subject to any further legal developments.