The Federal High Court sitting in Gombe State has nullified the emergence of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, as the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
The court also ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary in the state in accordance with the party’s guidelines and applicable electoral laws.
Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed delivered the judgment on Thursday, September 24, 2026, following a pre-election suit instituted by a PDP governorship aspirant, Usman Aliyu Garry.
Garry had challenged the process through which Pantami emerged as the party’s candidate, arguing that the PDP failed to conduct a valid governorship primary in compliance with its rules and relevant electoral requirements.
The suit was opposed by Pantami and the PDP, whose legal teams maintained that the process leading to his emergence complied with the party’s procedures and the law.
The court, however, ordered the party to return to the primary-election process and conduct another governorship primary in line with its guidelines and applicable electoral provisions.
Channels Television further reported that the court ordered Pantami to stop presenting himself as the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State. It also reported that the fresh primary is to be conducted within 30 days.
Pantami had initially sought the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress in Gombe State but withdrew from the party’s primary after the APC settled on Jamilu Gwamna as its consensus candidate.
He subsequently defected to the PDP and emerged as the party’s governorship candidate through voice affirmation at its governorship primary held in May 2026.
The PDP later formally presented him as its candidate on June 26.
His emergence, however, triggered opposition from some aspirants within the PDP, including Garry and Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, who questioned the procedure through which Pantami secured the ticket.
Garry subsequently approached the Federal High Court, seeking to invalidate Pantami’s emergence and compel the party to conduct a valid primary.
The court had earlier reserved judgment after hearing arguments from the parties. During the proceedings, Pantami’s counsel argued, among other things, that his resignation from the APC on May 19 preceded his participation in the PDP primary, while the PDP urged the court to dismiss or strike out the suit.
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