INEC adds Pantami, increases Gombe governorship candidates to 19

INEC Spread the wordThe Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has increased the number of governorship candidates for the 2027 Gombe State election from 16 to 19, following the inclusion of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami.

The revised list also includes candidates of the African Action Congress (AAC) and the Young Progressives Party (YPP), which were missing from the initial list published on October 10, 2026.

The development followed the commission’s review of complaints arising from the publication of the final lists of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates, with several political parties and aspirants petitioning INEC over alleged omissions and irregularities.

The review has resulted in changes to the published lists, as the commission considered petitions, examined relevant records and determined which complaints met the requirements of the law.

INEC reviews petitions from political parties

In a statement issued on October 29 and signed by the Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, INEC disclosed that it received 69 petitions from 12 political parties across 26 states concerning governorship candidates.

The commission said 41 of the petitions were successful, while 28 were rejected after a review of the complaints, relevant records and applicable legal provisions.

According to INEC, the petitions covered different issues, including the omission of political parties from the published lists, the wrongful inclusion of candidates whose names were not on the membership registers submitted by their parties, and allegations of multiple nominations.

The commission explained that it approved the inclusion of candidates and political parties whose complaints were found to have merit.

It also removed some candidates whose names had been wrongly published after verifying that they were not listed in their respective parties’ membership registers.

The review was part of the commission’s efforts to ensure that the published lists accurately reflected the candidates who met the relevant requirements for participation in the elections.

Beyond the governorship elections, INEC also reviewed complaints concerning candidates contesting seats in the State Houses of Assembly.

The commission disclosed that it received 61 petitions from 11 political parties across 11 states in connection with the Assembly elections.

Of the petitions, 25 were successful, while 36 were rejected following the commission’s assessment.

INEC said the affected candidates, political parties and states would be reflected in the updated lists to be published on its website.

The commission reiterated its commitment to transparency and the credibility of the electoral process, stressing the importance of ensuring that candidates appearing on its final lists were included in accordance with the applicable legal provisions.

Pantami’s inclusion changes Gombe race

Pantami’s inclusion represents a significant change to the list of candidates for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election, as the PDP was not represented in the initial list published on October 10.

The revised list brings the number of governorship candidates from 16 to 19, with the PDP, AAC and YPP accounting for the three additional entries.

Pantami, a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, emerged as the PDP’s governorship candidate following a fresh primary election conducted by the party in September.

The fresh exercise came after a court nullified his earlier emergence as the party’s candidate, prompting the PDP to conduct another primary to determine its flagbearer.

The subsequent inclusion of his name on INEC’s updated list followed the commission’s review of the petition challenging his omission.

The electoral commission’s clarification confirmed that Pantami’s petition had succeeded, paving the way for his inclusion on the revised list of governorship candidates.

However, INEC stated that his inclusion remained subject to the outcome of pending court cases.

The qualification leaves the final legal position on the affected candidacy dependent on the resolution of the outstanding cases.

The development underscores the role of petitions and judicial proceedings in determining the final list of candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

With the updated list, the commission has adjusted the number of candidates for the Gombe governorship contest while also making changes to candidate lists for State Houses of Assembly elections in affected states.