Supporters of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, have held a special prayer session in Gombe following the omission of his name from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list of governorship candidates.
The supporters gathered on Wednesday at the premises of Government Comprehensive Day Secondary School in Gombe metropolis to seek divine intervention over what they described as the politically motivated exclusion of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate.
During the prayer session, they asked Allah to grant justice, protect Pantami from harm and ensure his reinstatement as the PDP candidate for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election.
One of the supporters, Ahmed Sani, said the prayers were organised to complement ongoing legal and political efforts to address the matter.
“We believe power belongs to Almighty Allah. We have done the needful politically and legally; now we are handing the matter to Allah. Prof. Pantami is our hope for Gombe, and we are confident that justice will prevail,” he said.
Another supporter, Ibrahim Mohammed, said they had resorted to special prayers for the success of Pantami’s case amid the challenges surrounding his candidacy.
Pantami’s name was omitted from INEC’s final list of governorship candidates released on October 10, prompting his legal team, Ahmed Raji & Co., to issue the commission a three-day ultimatum to publish his name.
The legal team described the omission as unlawful and called on the electoral commission to correct the situation.
However, INEC, in a circular issued on Tuesday, attributed the omission of Pantami and other candidates to non-compliance with Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026.
The dispute has added another dimension to the political contest surrounding the PDP’s governorship candidacy in Gombe State ahead of the 2027 general elections, as supporters continue to seek a resolution through legal, political and religious channels.
