Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, has reacted to the exclusion of his name from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list of candidates for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election, urging supporters to remain calm as his political camp works to resolve the issue.

Pantami’s name was missing from the list released by INEC on Saturday, October 10, 2026, despite his emergence as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate following a fresh primary election conducted on September 29.

In a statement shared on Pantami’s verified Facebook page, the Pantamiyya Movement’s spokesperson, Professor Suleiman Mohammed Gombe, described the development as a temporary setback and assured supporters that efforts were underway to address the omission.

“This is a temporary challenge and a normal part of the electoral process, not a final determination,” the statement said.

Mohammed disclosed that the movement’s legal and liaison teams were engaging with relevant PDP organs and INEC to secure what they described as a correction within the period permitted by law.

He also alleged that political opponents were working behind the scenes to frustrate Pantami’s governorship ambition, although the statement did not provide evidence identifying those allegedly involved.

The statement urged members of the PDP and the Pantamiyya Movement to remain united, continue their mobilisation and avoid being distracted by the development.

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“We urge our supporters to continue their mobilisation and to remain focused on our collective ideology of service to humanity,” Mohammed said.

INEC’s published list contains 16 governorship candidates for Gombe State, but it does not include Pantami or a PDP candidate. Among those listed are Jamilu Gwamna of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bala Tinka of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Babayo Kumo of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).

The omission comes after a series of legal disputes over the PDP’s nomination process in Gombe State.

Pantami initially emerged as the party’s governorship candidate in May 2026 after leaving the APC, where he had sought the party’s ticket. His initial nomination was subsequently challenged by fellow aspirants, including Khamisu Mailantarki and Usman Garry.

On September 24, the Federal High Court in Gombe nullified the original nomination and ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary within 30 days. The court found that the earlier process did not comply with the party’s procedures and applicable electoral laws, including the exclusion of some aspirants who had been screened and cleared to participate.

The court did not grant a separate request seeking Pantami’s removal from the PDP.

Following the ruling, the PDP conducted a fresh primary on September 29, in which Pantami again emerged as the party’s candidate. However, the outcome continued to face objections from rival aspirants.

Mailantarki reportedly challenged Pantami’s eligibility, arguing that he had joined the PDP after the relevant party-register deadline. The dispute has added another layer of uncertainty to the party’s efforts to secure representation in the 2027 Gombe governorship election.

INEC has not publicly explained in the reports reviewed why Pantami’s name and the PDP’s nomination were absent from the final list.

The omission does not, on its own, establish the precise legal or administrative reason for the decision. The outcome will depend on the applicable electoral requirements and any further action by the commission, the party or the courts.

The 2027 Gombe governorship election is scheduled for February 6, 2027. With Pantami’s camp saying it is engaging the relevant institutions, attention will now focus on whether the omission can be resolved within the legally permitted period.

For the PDP, the development presents a challenge as it seeks to participate in the Gombe contest. For Pantami and his supporters, the immediate priority is to establish the reason for the omission and determine the available legal options.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force over a disputed document allegedly circulating as the result of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary for Imo West, which names former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha as the winner.

In separate letters dated October 5 and October 8, 2026, INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Imo State, Chukwuemeka Ibeziako, described the disputed document as fictitious and called on the security agencies to investigate its origin, circulation and authenticity.

The commission said the document contradicted the report of the APC primary election submitted to its office, insisting that the version in its possession identified Hope Uzodimma as the winner of the party’s primary for the Imo West Senatorial District, also known as the Orlu zone.

According to the petitions, the authentic report was dated May 18, 2026, and was submitted by the APC to its national headquarters before being forwarded to INEC.

The commission reportedly attached copies of both documents to its petitions, identifying the report it considered authentic as Annexure A and the disputed version as Annexure B.

INEC expressed concern that the circulation of the disputed document could mislead the public about the outcome of the party primary and create confusion over the APC’s candidate for the senatorial district ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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It therefore urged the DSS and police to establish how the document was produced and circulated and to take appropriate action in accordance with the law.

The controversy has drawn attention to the APC’s nomination process in Imo West, where Okorocha, a former governor and senator, has been linked to the contest for the party’s senatorial ticket. Uzodimma, the incumbent Imo State governor, is the person INEC says was named in the primary report submitted to it.

However, the commission’s petition concerning the disputed document should not be treated as a final judicial determination of any alleged forgery or as proof of who created or circulated it. The outcome of the requested security investigation was not established in the reports available as of October 10.

In a related but separate development, a Senior Magistrate Court in Abuja reportedly issued bench warrants on September 9, 2026, for the arrest of Okorocha, former senator Ifeanyi Araraume, Timothy Ama Chuks and Amen Okorocha over allegations including criminal conspiracy, forgery and the use of false documents.

The reported proceedings involved case numbers CR/M/JW/084/2026 and CR/M/JW/085/2026. The allegations remain subject to legal proceedings, and the reported warrants do not establish the guilt of the individuals named.

The court matter is distinct from INEC’s petitions to the security agencies over the disputed APC primary result. Any connection between the two matters must be established through verified evidence rather than assumed from the allegations alone.

INEC’s intervention comes as political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections, when the authenticity of nomination documents and the transparent handling of primary results will remain important issues.

The commission’s request places responsibility on the relevant security agencies to investigate the disputed document, determine its origin and establish the facts surrounding its circulation.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of poorly copying his proposed petrol production subsidy plan, arguing that the Federal Government’s 30-day fuel discount offers only temporary relief from rising petrol prices.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the administration had borrowed his idea but failed to adopt the broader measures he believes could sustainably reduce fuel costs and ease the burden on Nigerians.

Lambasting the President, Atiku likened him to a student who copied another person’s examination answer without understanding it.

“Bola, you have borrowed the idea but missed the lesson. You had a production subsidy and reduced it to a 30-day gesture,” he said.

He added: “You copied my production subsidy proposal. There is nothing wrong with that. You stripped away the part that makes it work and handed Nigerians a 30-day discount. Where is the rest of the answer, Bola?”

Atiku maintained that his production subsidy proposal was designed to support locally refined petroleum products and reduce costs for households, transport operators and businesses. He questioned what would happen when the temporary discount expires, warning that Nigerians could remain exposed to high transportation costs, rising food prices and increased business expenses.

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The dispute follows the Federal Government’s introduction of a temporary petrol discount through Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) retail outlets. The measure was announced to cushion consumers against rising fuel prices amid elevated international crude oil costs.

NNPC said the discount would run until October 31, 2026, although the initiative was not presented as a uniform pump-price reduction across the country.

The Tinubu administration has rejected claims that the measure represents a return to the former petrol subsidy regime, which ended in May 2023. Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, described the initiative as a temporary intervention rather than a restoration of the previous system of government-funded subsidies.

The Presidency has explained that the arrangement involves a retail discount, with a seller reducing or foregoing part of its margin for a specified period. This differs from the former subsidy system, under which public funds covered part of the cost of petrol.

The government has maintained that it remains committed to market-based petroleum pricing. It had also challenged Atiku to explain the legal, fiscal and practical framework for his proposed production subsidy, citing provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 and Nigeria’s petroleum-pricing regulations.

Atiku’s criticism has renewed debate over whether a targeted production subsidy could provide more lasting relief than a temporary retail discount, and how such a policy would be funded without recreating the fiscal pressures associated with the former subsidy regime.

The dispute comes as political alignments intensify ahead of the 2027 general election, with Atiku using the issue to challenge the administration’s economic policies while the government defends its approach to fuel pricing.