Pantami Re-emerges as PDP Governorship Candidate in Gombe After Fresh Primary

Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, has re-emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State for the 2027 election, after winning the fresh primary ordered by the Federal High Court.

Pantami secured 2,054 votes in the rerun conducted across the 11 local government areas of Gombe State on Tuesday, September 29, defeating Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, who polled 389 votes, and Aliyu Usman Garry, who scored 112 votes.

The result was announced at the Gombe State PDP Secretariat by the chairman of the party’s Governorship Primary Election Committee, Johnbull Shekarau.

The fresh primary became necessary after the Federal High Court in Gombe nullified Pantami’s earlier emergence as the PDP candidate.

In a judgment delivered on September 24, Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed ordered the PDP to conduct another governorship primary within 30 days, holding that the earlier process did not comply with the party’s internal rules and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

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Pantami had initially emerged as the PDP governorship candidate at the party’s May 26 primary through a voice affirmation. That process was challenged by Mailantarki and Garry, who questioned the procedure through which he was selected.

The court subsequently nullified the original primary rather than simply restoring or confirming Pantami’s first ticket. It ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh exercise in which eligible aspirants could compete.

The court also declined a request to disqualify Pantami or remove him as a PDP member over allegations concerning his previous membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Pantami had joined the PDP after withdrawing from the APC governorship contest, following the emergence of Jamilu Isiyaku Gwamna as the APC’s consensus candidate in Gombe.

Following the judgment, the PDP cleared Pantami, Mailantarki and Garry to participate in the fresh primary held on September 29.

The rerun was conducted across 114 wards in the state’s 11 local government areas, with the three aspirants contesting for the party’s ticket.

Pantami’s latest victory therefore gives him a new PDP mandate to contest the Gombe governorship election, rather than a restoration of the ticket produced by the earlier, nullified primary.

However, the legal issues surrounding the contest may not be completely over. Lawyers representing some of the aspirants had previously notified the PDP of an appeal against aspects of the Federal High Court judgment and sought further legal relief. (Channels Television)

With the fresh primary concluded, Pantami is now the PDP’s declared governorship candidate in Gombe, subject to the completion of the applicable electoral and legal processes.

The development marks another stage in the PDP’s preparations for the 2027 Gombe governorship election, after the party was forced to repeat its earlier primary following the court judgment.

Pantami Re-emerges as PDP Governorship Candidate in Gombe After Fresh Primary

Obi Drops Bombshell, Vows to Bring Back Petrol Subsidy

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has pledged to restore petrol subsidy if elected president in the 2027 general elections, saying his administration would first tackle corruption in the system.

Obi made the declaration on Monday, September 28, 2026, at an NDC town hall meeting in Sokoto attended by his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, party leaders and supporters.

He said the major problem associated with the fuel subsidy system was corruption, insisting that his administration would address the loopholes that had allegedly allowed public funds meant for the sector to be mismanaged.

Obi said his government would eliminate corruption and ensure that any subsidy provided by the state directly benefits Nigerians.

The pledge represents a change from a position Obi expressed earlier in 2026, when he supported the removal of petrol subsidy and argued that mismanagement of savings from the policy should not be used as a reason to restore it.

His latest position came shortly after Kwankwaso proposed that an NDC administration would reintroduce fuel subsidy in a different form if elected.

Obi subsequently backed the proposal, explaining that the planned arrangement would be accompanied by greater transparency in the petroleum sector.

He said an NDC government would establish mechanisms for monitoring crude oil production, petroleum transactions, imports, exports and government revenues to ensure that government intervention in the sector was transparent and beneficial to Nigerians.

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The proposed policy comes against the background of the petrol subsidy removal implemented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in 2023.

The removal has remained one of Nigeria’s most contentious economic policies, with its supporters arguing that it freed government resources for other purposes, while critics have pointed to the impact of higher petrol prices and living costs.

The issue has also become a major subject of debate ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with opposition candidates putting forward different proposals on how to reduce fuel costs.

Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, has also proposed a form of subsidy focused on supporting locally refined petroleum products.

Obi, however, said his proposed system would be different from the previous arrangement because it would be backed by stronger monitoring and transparency.

Beyond the fuel subsidy debate, Obi used the Sokoto engagement to outline other priorities of a potential NDC administration.

He listed education, security and national unity among his key priorities and said education would receive particular attention.

He also pledged greater investment in job creation, poverty reduction, vocational training, healthcare and the empowerment of young people and women.

On infrastructure, Obi promised to connect all Nigerian state capitals by railway, saying improved rail transportation would facilitate the movement of people and goods and stimulate economic activity.

Kwankwaso, while addressing the gathering, highlighted the security challenges facing communities in the North-West, particularly kidnapping and banditry.

The former Kano State governor said security would be a major focus of an NDC administration.

The delegation also visited the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, who urged politicians and their supporters to maintain peace as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.

Obi’s subsidy proposal leaves several policy questions to be answered, including the structure of the proposed intervention, its projected cost, how it would be funded and the specific safeguards that would prevent the corruption he identified as a major problem with the previous system.

For now, the NDC’s position is that a future subsidy would be accompanied by stronger monitoring of the petroleum value chain, rather than simply returning to the exact arrangement that existed before the 2023 subsidy removal.

Obi Drops Bombshell, Vows to Bring Back Petrol Subsidy

2027 Presidency: Atiku Asked Me to Make Obi His Running Mate — Babachir Lawal

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has disclosed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar once sent him to persuade Peter Obi to accept the vice-presidential slot on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) platform ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Lawal made the disclosure during an interview with Diaspora Digital Media, while recounting the negotiations among opposition figures before the coalition eventually fractured.

According to the former SGF, Atiku wanted Obi to return to the political arrangement and become his running mate under the ADC.

Lawal said Atiku’s proposal was not limited to a conventional president-vice-president arrangement. He claimed that Atiku envisaged serving for four years and then working towards an amendment of the Constitution to introduce a single six-year presidential term, with provisions for rotational leadership.

He said Atiku specifically asked him to approach Obi because of his relationship with the former Anambra State governor.

Lawal recalled that he travelled to meet Obi despite heavy rainfall.

“They say you have influence against Peter Obi, I want Peter Obi to come back and be my vice presidential candidate,”

Lawal quoted Atiku as telling him, adding that he subsequently explained the proposal to Obi.

According to Lawal, however, Obi was not enthusiastic about the arrangement and declined to accept the proposal.

Obi previously disputed the account

The latest disclosure comes against the background of a previous statement by Obi in which he denied that he had rejected a formal vice-presidential offer from Atiku.

During an interview with Arise TV earlier in September, Obi said he did not know where the claim originated and maintained that he was not in a position where such an offer had formally been made to him and rejected.

Obi said discussions about a possible opposition alliance had moved beyond individual politicians and would have to involve the political parties themselves.

The differing accounts mean that Lawal’s latest recollection represents his account of the discussions, while Obi has publicly disputed the characterization that he received and rejected a formal VP offer.

Coalition split

The disclosure also provides another glimpse into the political negotiations that preceded the breakdown of the opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 election.

Atiku eventually emerged as the ADC’s presidential candidate, while Obi subsequently became the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Lawal himself left the ADC in June after alleging that the party’s presidential primary had been manipulated in Atiku’s favour. The allegations were rejected by Atiku’s camp.

In September, Lawal joined the NDC and publicly backed the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, further marking his movement away from the political camp led by Atiku.

The latest revelation is therefore likely to attract fresh attention to the behind-the-scenes negotiations that preceded the eventual emergence of separate presidential tickets for Atiku and Obi ahead of the 2027 election.

2027 Presidency: Atiku Asked Me to Make Obi His Running Mate — Babachir Lawal