The Federal High Court in Gombe has ordered the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to conduct a fresh governorship primary, nullifying Prof. Isa Ali Pantami’s emergence as the party’s 2027 candidate.
Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed gave the order on Thursday while delivering judgement in a suit filed by PDP governorship aspirant Usman Aliyu Garry, who challenged the validity of Pantami’s emergence and argued that the party did not conduct a lawful primary in accordance with its guidelines and applicable electoral laws.
The ruling reopens the PDP governorship contest in Gombe after Pantami emerged as the party’s candidate on May 26, 2026, following his defection from the All Progressives Congress, APC,
The former minister had withdrawn from the APC governorship race after Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna emerged as the party’s consensus candidate in the state.
Pantami subsequently joined the PDP and was presented as the party’s sole governorship aspirant during its primary exercise in Gombe. The process culminated in a voice affirmation, with the PDP electoral panel declaring him the candidate.
According to the results announced by the PDP electoral panel chairman, Gregory Yenlong, Pantami recorded 16,781 votes in Gombe North, 12,752 in Gombe Central and 23,422 in Gombe South, bringing the announced total to 52,955 votes.
The emergence, however, immediately generated opposition from other PDP governorship aspirants, including Garry and Khamisu Mailantarki.
Garry said he was among the aspirants cleared to contest and objected to what he described as the process through which Pantami was affirmed without the participation of the other aspirants.
The dispute later moved to the Federal High Court, where Garry challenged Pantami’s nomination. The PDP, Pantami and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, were joined in the proceedings, with the defendants contesting the claims made against the nomination process.
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In July, the court reserved judgement after the parties adopted their final written addresses and concluded their arguments.
Counsel representing Pantami urged the court to dismiss the case, maintaining that his emergence complied with the law and the PDP’s procedures, while Garry’s lawyer urged the court to grant the reliefs sought.
The legal dispute centres on the rules governing the nomination of candidates by political parties under Nigeria’s Electoral Act 2026.
The law provides for direct primaries or consensus as methods of nomination and requires parties adopting consensus to obtain the written consent of all cleared aspirants. Where such consent cannot be secured, the party is required to revert to direct primaries.
The Act also gives an aspirant who alleges non-compliance with electoral law or a party’s nomination guidelines the right to seek redress at the Federal High Court.
Where a court finds that a party failed to comply with the law in conducting its primaries, the candidate produced through the disputed process is barred from being included in the election for the affected position.
The court’s latest order therefore requires the PDP to return to the nomination process and conduct a fresh governorship primary in Gombe State in line with its rules and the applicable electoral framework.
Pantami’s candidature had earlier been formally recognized by the PDP, which presented him with a Certificate of Return in June after his emergence.
His nomination was also subsequently uploaded on the INEC portal as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
The fresh primary will determine who ultimately carries the PDP flag in the Gombe governorship election, subject to any further legal proceedings arising from Thursday’s judgement.
