COURT NULLIFIES PANTAMI’S PDP TICKET, ORDERS FRESH GOVERNORSHIP PRIMARY IN GOMBE.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
Northern Bureau Chief
September 24, 2026.
The Federal High Court sitting in Gombe has nullified the emergence of Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Gombe State and ordered the party to conduct a fresh governorship primary.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday by Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed, followed a pre-election suit filed 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 leading to Pantami’s emergence did not comply with the requirements of the PDP’s guidelines and applicable electoral provisions. The court’s decision has consequently reopened the PDP governorship contest in the state.
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The ruling marks a significant development in the unfolding political contest ahead of the 2027 Gombe State governorship election, particularly because Pantami’s emergence had already generated legal and political disputes within the PDP.
How Pantami Emerged
Pantami, a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, had initially sought the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Following the APC’s decision to settle on Jamilu Gwamna as its consensus candidate, Pantami left the party and subsequently joined the PDP.
He later emerged as the PDP’s governorship candidate through a process that was described in reports as a voice-affirmation exercise during the party’s governorship primary in May. The PDP subsequently announced him as its sole candidate on June 26, 2026.
However, his emergence was challenged by other aspirants who questioned whether the process met the legal and procedural requirements for selecting a governorship candidate.
Usman Aliyu Garry subsequently approached the Federal High Court, asking the court to invalidate Pantami’s emergence.
During earlier proceedings, Pantami and the PDP defended the process that produced him as candidate. The PDP’s legal team had challenged the competence of the suit and urged the court to dismiss or strike it out, while the claimant maintained that the process was defective.
The court had earlier reserved judgment after hearing arguments from the parties.
The latest judgment has now directed the PDP to return to the primary-election process and conduct another governorship primary in compliance with its own guidelines and relevant electoral laws.
The legal battle over Pantami’s candidacy was not isolated. Earlier reports showed that other PDP governorship aspirants, including Khamisu Mailantarki and Hamma-Sale Abdulkadir, had also instituted separate legal actions challenging aspects of the process that produced Pantami.
One of the earlier suits questioned the validity of the May 26 primary and alleged that Pantami emerged without a valid primary election or lawful consensus process. The respondents, including the PDP and Pantami, opposed the challenges and defended the legality of the process.
The multiplicity of legal challenges underlines the depth of disagreement that accompanied the PDP’s attempt to settle its governorship ticket in Gombe State.
With the court ordering a fresh primary, the PDP’s governorship ticket in Gombe State is now subject to a new selection process, unless the judgment is affected by any subsequent legal proceedings or appeal.
The immediate task before the PDP will therefore be to organise a fresh primary that satisfies the court’s directive as well as the party’s internal rules and applicable electoral requirements.
The development also places renewed attention on the procedures political parties adopt when selecting candidates for major elective offices.
For the PDP, the next stage will be particularly important because the party will have to manage both the legal implications of Thursday’s judgment and the competing interests of its governorship aspirants.
The judgment does not, in itself, determine who will eventually emerge as the PDP’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election. Rather, it requires the party to undertake another primary process.
Pantami could therefore face a fresh contest, depending on the applicable party rules, the implementation of the judgment and any further legal developments.
For his political supporters, the ruling represents a new phase in a contest that has already passed through two major political platforms. For his opponents within the PDP, it provides an opportunity for the governorship ticket to be decided through the fresh process ordered by the court.
The outcome of the fresh primary is expected to attract considerable attention in Gombe, where the 2027 governorship contest is already taking shape.
For now, however, the immediate consequence of Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed’s judgment is clear: the PDP must conduct a fresh governorship primary in Gombe State in accordance with the party’s guidelines and applicable electoral laws.
