The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has restored former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, to its list of candidates for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election following an earlier controversy over his exclusion, which the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) described as religious discrimination.
The commission confirmed on Thursday that Pantami’s petition challenging his omission from the final list of candidates had been successful, although his candidacy remains subject to the outcome of pending court cases.
Mohammed Haruna, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, confirmed the development, saying the commission considered the petition on its merit.
“Those ones that I can tell you immediately. That of Kano in NNPP was successful; Pantami was successful, but you know that there are pending cases and it depends on the outcomes of the court cases,” Haruna told TheCable.
Pantami, who is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State, was among prominent politicians omitted when INEC published its final list of candidates on October 10.
His exclusion attracted criticism from MURIC, which accused INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, of religious bias and demanded the immediate restoration of the Islamic scholar’s name.
The organisation, led by Professor Ishaq Akintola, questioned why Pantami was excluded despite winning the PDP’s court-ordered rerun governorship primary on September 29, in which he secured 2,054 votes.
MURIC also argued that INEC officials monitored the primary election before the commission subsequently omitted his name.
The organisation described the development as religious discrimination, called for Amupitan’s removal and urged President Bola Tinubu to appoint a replacement it considered religiously neutral.
INEC had previously attributed the exclusion to provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 concerning political parties’ submission of membership registers.
The commission said its position followed a September 24 Supreme Court judgment affirming the constitutionality of provisions requiring political parties to submit their membership registers within the stipulated period.
In an October analysis, Religion Journalism Foundation examined MURIC’s allegations, INEC’s explanation and the unanswered questions surrounding the controversy. The analysis noted that the available public evidence did not establish that Pantami’s religion influenced the commission’s decision.
His reinstatement follows INEC’s review of petitions challenging the final lists of candidates for the 2027 governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
The commission received 69 petitions from 12 political parties across 26 states concerning governorship candidates. Forty-one were successful, while 28 were rejected.
INEC also rejected the petition of the PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, who sought a review of his exclusion.
Although Pantami’s name has now been cleared for inclusion in the updated list, the commission said the outcome of pending court cases could still affect his candidacy.
