The Federal High Court sitting in Gombe State has nullified the process that produced former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Gombe State election.
Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed delivered the judgment on Thursday, September 24, 2026, following a suit filed by PDP governorship aspirant Usman Aliyu Garry, who challenged the validity of Pantami’s emergence.
The court ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary in accordance with the party’s guidelines and relevant electoral laws. The ruling reopens the party’s nomination process months after Pantami emerged following his movement from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP.
The judgment means the process through which Pantami secured the PDP ticket cannot stand in its present form, leaving the party with the task of conducting another nomination exercise.
Pantami’s emergence followed a turbulent period in the Gombe governorship contest.
The former minister had initially sought the APC governorship ticket. After the party settled on Jamilu Gwamna as its consensus candidate, Pantami left the APC and joined the PDP.
He subsequently emerged as the PDP’s preferred governorship candidate through a voice-affirmation process at the party’s governorship primary in May.
The PDP later announced Pantami as its sole governorship candidate on June 26, 2026. His emergence, however, immediately became the subject of legal challenges from within the party.
The litigation focused principally on whether the procedure used to produce Pantami complied with the requirements governing the nomination of a political party’s candidate.
Garry approached the Federal High Court to contest Pantami’s emergence, arguing that the process did not amount to a valid governorship primary.
The case formed part of a series of legal challenges surrounding the PDP’s Gombe governorship nomination.
Earlier proceedings showed that the PDP and Pantami defended the process that produced the former minister, while the plaintiffs sought its cancellation and a fresh exercise.
Another PDP aspirant, Khamisu Mailantarki, had also filed a separate suit challenging Pantami’s emergence. In that matter, Mailantarki argued that the May 26 primary should be set aside and another primary conducted among eligible aspirants.
Before Thursday’s judgment, the Federal High Court had heard arguments from the parties and reserved judgment in the relevant proceedings.
The immediate consequence of the judgment is that the PDP must return to the nomination stage and conduct another governorship primary.
The ruling places the following issues at the centre of the party’s next steps:
- Fresh primary: The PDP has been directed to conduct another governorship primary in Gombe.
- Compliance with party rules: The new exercise must follow the party’s applicable guidelines.
- Electoral compliance: The process must also comply with relevant electoral laws.
- Pantami’s candidacy: His previous emergence as the PDP candidate has been nullified by the court’s decision.
- 2027 preparations: The PDP will have to adjust its preparations for the Gombe governorship contest in light of the judgment.
A report on the ruling further stated that the court gave the PDP 30 days to conduct the fresh primary and directed Pantami not to continue presenting himself as the party’s governorship candidate.
Pantami’s transition from the APC to the PDP was another issue raised during the earlier litigation.
During proceedings in July, the defence maintained that Pantami had resigned his APC membership on May 19, 2026, before participating in the PDP governorship process.
Opposing lawyers questioned aspects of his eligibility and the circumstances surrounding his entry into the PDP nomination process. Those arguments formed part of the wider legal dispute over whether the process that produced Pantami complied with applicable requirements.
The court’s latest decision now requires the PDP to undertake a fresh nomination exercise rather than rely on the earlier process.
The judgment puts the PDP’s Gombe governorship contest back into the primary-election stage.
The party will now have to organise another exercise while ensuring that the process meets the court’s requirements, its internal rules and applicable electoral provisions.
For Pantami, the ruling removes the certainty that followed his earlier emergence as the PDP candidate. His position in the party’s eventual ticket will depend on the outcome and structure of the fresh nomination process.
The development also adds another layer to the legal and political contest ahead of the 2027 Gombe State governorship election, with the PDP now required to resolve its candidate-selection process before moving forward with its broader campaign preparations.
