2027 elections: Pantami in fresh setback as court nullifies Gombe PDP governorship primary

The Federal High Court sitting in Gombe has nullified the emergence of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Gombe State and directed the party to conduct a fresh primary.

Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed delivered the judgment on Thursday following a pre-election suit instituted by PDP governorship aspirant Usman Aliyu Garry, who had challenged the process through which Pantami emerged as the party’s flag bearer. Blueprint reports

The judgment marks a fresh setback for the PDP’s preparations for the 2027 governorship election in the state, coming after the court had earlier reserved judgment following the conclusion of arguments by the parties. In July, the court heard submissions from the respective legal teams before fixing the matter for judgment.

Garry challenged Pantami’s emergence

Garry had approached the court seeking the nullification of Pantami’s emergence, arguing that the process leading to his nomination failed to comply with the PDP’s internal rules and applicable electoral requirements.

During the earlier proceedings, Garry’s legal team urged the court to grant the reliefs sought, maintaining that the process through which Pantami became the party’s candidate was legally defective.

Pantami and the PDP, however, opposed the action and asked the court to dismiss the case. Their position was that Pantami’s emergence was valid and complied with the party’s procedures and relevant legal provisions.

After hearing the arguments of the parties, Justice Mohammed reserved judgment, with the parties awaiting the court’s determination of the dispute.

Court orders fresh primary

In Thursday’s judgment, the court nullified Pantami’s emergence as the PDP governorship candidate and directed the party to return to the primary election process.

The PDP is now required to organise another governorship primary in accordance with its guidelines and the relevant electoral laws.

The ruling effectively removes Pantami’s earlier emergence as the basis upon which the PDP would proceed with its 2027 Gombe governorship campaign, pending any further legal steps that may arise from the judgment.

Pantami emerged after leaving APC

Pantami’s political journey towards the PDP governorship ticket followed his withdrawal from the APC governorship contest in Gombe State.

The former minister had initially sought the APC ticket but later pulled out of the contest amid disagreements surrounding the process that produced Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna as the party’s consensus governorship candidate.

Gwamna’s emergence had generated opposition among some aspirants, including Pantami, who subsequently left the APC and joined the PDP.

Pantami later contested the PDP governorship primary and emerged as the party’s candidate on May 26, 2026, after being presented as the sole aspirant. His emergence was announced through voice affirmation.

Other aspirants also challenged ticket

Pantami’s emergence did not go unchallenged within the PDP, with other aspirants also questioning the circumstances surrounding the primary.

Apart from Garry, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki had separately approached the Federal High Court challenging Pantami’s emergence and seeking an order for a fresh primary.

The Mailantarki case was heard separately from Garry’s suit, although both actions arose from disputes over the process that produced Pantami as the PDP’s candidate.

In proceedings concluded in July, Mailantarki’s counsel argued that Pantami had not been a PDP member at the time of the primary and challenged his participation in the process. The PDP and Pantami disputed the allegations and defended the validity of the primary.

Legal battle reshapes PDP’s 2027 plans

The latest judgment places the PDP’s Gombe governorship nomination back at the centre of its preparations for the 2027 election.

With the court directing a fresh primary, the party will have to undertake another process to determine who will represent it in the governorship contest, subject to any further judicial proceedings arising from Thursday’s decision.

The development also reopens the contest among those who had previously expressed interest in the PDP ticket.

Before Pantami’s emergence, several aspirants had been associated with the party’s governorship contest, including Garry, Mailantarki, Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh and Monica Kaltho.

The disputes surrounding the ticket had already resulted in multiple court proceedings, with the judiciary becoming a key avenue through which aggrieved aspirants sought to challenge the process.

Pantami’s political trajectory

Pantami, a professor and former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, became one of the prominent figures in the Gombe governorship race following his decision to leave the APC.

His movement to the PDP came after the breakdown of his bid for the APC governorship ticket, placing him in direct competition for the opposition party’s nomination.

His subsequent emergence as the PDP candidate initially positioned him as the party’s standard-bearer for the 2027 election. Thursday’s judgment, however, means that the nomination is no longer settled on the basis of the May 26 primary.

The court’s order now requires the PDP to conduct another primary in compliance with the applicable rules and electoral requirements.

Fresh contest now awaits

The immediate implication of the judgment is that the PDP must organise a fresh process to select its candidate for the Gombe governorship election.

The development could also trigger further legal steps, depending on whether any of the parties choose to challenge the decision before a higher court.

For the PDP, the ruling introduces another stage into its preparations for the 2027 election, while for the aspirants who had contested the party’s earlier nomination process, it creates a fresh opportunity to participate in determining the party’s eventual standard-bearer.

The court’s decision therefore brings the May 26 primary to an end as the basis for Pantami’s nomination and places the responsibility for selecting the PDP’s candidate back before the party through a fresh governorship primary.