The Federal High Court in Gombe has nullified the emergence of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the 2027 governorship election in Gombe State.
The court, presided over by Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed, on Thursday ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary in accordance with its constitution, electoral guidelines and applicable laws.
The judgment followed a suit filed by Usman Garry, a PDP governorship aspirant who challenged the process through which Pantami emerged as the party’s candidate.
Pantami had initially been a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and withdrew from the party’s governorship primary scheduled for May 21 in Gombe, citing alleged breaches in the electoral process.
He subsequently joined the PDP and emerged as its candidate for the 2027 governorship election after he was affirmed through a voice vote at the party’s primary.
The primary was conducted by a faction of the party led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, but Garry challenged the validity of Pantami’s emergence, arguing that no proper primary election had been conducted in accordance with the PDP constitution and relevant electoral provisions.
The matter was argued before the court, which reserved judgment in July.
During proceedings on Thursday, counsel to Pantami argued that his client was qualified to participate in the PDP primary, maintaining that he had validly resigned his membership of the APC on May 19, 2026, before taking part in the PDP exercise.
Counsel to the PDP, however, opposed the suit and urged the court to strike it out.
Garry’s lawyer urged the court to dismiss the objections raised by the defendants and grant the reliefs sought by his client.
In its judgment, the court ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary in compliance with its constitution, guidelines and relevant electoral laws.
The ruling effectively sets aside Pantami’s emergence through the disputed primary and requires the party to undertake another process to select its candidate for the 2027 Gombe governorship election.
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