The Federal High Court sitting in Gombe has nullified the emergence of former Communications Minister Isa Ali Pantami as the PDP governorship candidate for Gombe State in the 2027 elections, ordering the party to conduct a fresh primary within thirty days.
Justice Amina Aliyu delivered the judgment on September 24, 2026, ruling that the primary held on May 26, 2026, failed to comply with the PDP’s internal regulations and the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026. The court found that the flawed process led to the improper exclusion of duly screened and cleared aspirants from participating in the contest.
The ruling followed two suits filed by PDP aspirants Khamisu Mailantarki and Hon. Aliyu Usman, who challenged the process that produced Pantami’s initial emergence. While the court voided the primary and ordered a rerun, it declined the plaintiffs’ request to disqualify Pantami outright or remove him from the party over allegations that he remained a card-carrying member of the APC at the material time. The court’s decision allows Pantami to participate in the fresh primary.
That last point is now at the centre of an escalating legal battle. The plaintiffs’ legal team, led by Eko Ejembi Eko SAN, has filed a Notice of Appeal at the Court of Appeal on September 25 challenging the portion of the judgment that permits Pantami’s participation in any rerun.
A Motion for Stay of Execution has also been filed at the Federal High Court, seeking to restrain the PDP from proceeding with a fresh primary that includes Pantami on the ballot. The motion also seeks to stop INEC from monitoring or supervising any primary involving him.
The Gombe State PDP chapter has reportedly scheduled the fresh primary for September 29, 2026.
