The Federal High Court sitting in Gombe State has nullified the emergence of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Gombe State.
The court, presided over by Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed, on Thursday, September 24, 2026, ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary in accordance with the party’s guidelines and relevant electoral laws.
The judgment followed a pre-election suit instituted by PDP governorship aspirant Usman Aliyu Garry, who challenged the process through which Pantami emerged as the party’s candidate.
Garry had argued that the process adopted by the PDP did not amount to a valid governorship primary and was not conducted in compliance with the party’s rules and applicable electoral requirements.
The court consequently voided the process that produced Pantami and directed the PDP to return to the field and conduct another primary to determine its candidate for the Gombe State governorship election.
Pantami’s emergence as the PDP candidate had followed his departure from the All Progressives Congress (APC), where he had initially sought the governorship ticket.
The APC subsequently settled on Jamilu Gwamna as its consensus candidate, prompting Pantami to leave the party and join the PDP.
After joining the PDP, Pantami emerged through a voice affirmation exercise at the party’s governorship primary held on May 26, 2026. He was subsequently presented as the party’s candidate and the PDP formally announced him as its sole governorship candidate on June 26.
His emergence, however, immediately generated legal challenges from other aspirants who questioned the legality of the process.
Earlier proceedings before the Federal High Court showed that several PDP aspirants had challenged Pantami’s candidacy. Among them was Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, whose suit sought the nullification of the May 26 primary and an order directing the PDP to conduct a fresh exercise involving eligible aspirants.
Mailantarki’s legal team had argued that Pantami was not a registered member of the PDP at the time of the primary and therefore should not have participated in the process. The plaintiff also challenged the manner in which Pantami was brought into the party’s governorship contest.
Another PDP aspirant, Alhaji Hamma-Sale Abdulkadir, also instituted a separate action challenging Pantami’s emergence.
In July, the Federal High Court commenced hearing suits challenging Pantami’s emergence, with the PDP, Pantami and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) joined as respondents in the relevant proceedings.
The court subsequently reserved judgment after lawyers representing the parties adopted their final written addresses and made their respective submissions. Counsel to Pantami had urged the court to dismiss the challenge, maintaining that his emergence complied with the law and the procedures of the PDP.
Thursday’s judgment has now invalidated the process through which Pantami secured the PDP governorship ticket and directed the party to conduct a fresh primary.
The ruling means that the PDP will have to organise another governorship primary in Gombe State in line with its internal guidelines and applicable electoral provisions before it can settle on its candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
Pantami’s initial emergence had been viewed within the context of the realignment of political forces ahead of the 2027 election, following his movement from the APC to the PDP after failing to secure the APC ticket.
With the court order, the legal process surrounding the PDP’s Gombe governorship ticket has taken a fresh turn, with the party required to conduct another primary rather than proceed with the candidature produced by the May exercise.
As of Thursday, reports on the judgment indicate that the court has directed the PDP to hold a fresh governorship primary to determine its candidate for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election.
