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The Federal High Court sitting in Gombe has nullified the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship primary through which former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, emerged as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
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Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed, in a judgment delivered on Thursday, directed the PDP to conduct another governorship primary in accordance with the party’s guidelines and applicable electoral provisions.
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Garry had argued that the process through which Pantami emerged, including his reported emergence by voice affirmation in May, did not constitute a valid governorship primary.
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The judgment has reopened the party’s governorship contest in Gombe State, leaving the PDP with the task of conducting another nomination exercise to determine its candidate for the 2027 General elections.
September 24, (THEWILL) – The Federal High Court sitting in Gombe State has nullified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary through which former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, emerged as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed gave the order on Thursday while delivering judgment in a suit instituted by a PDP governorship aspirant, Usman Aliyu Garry, who challenged the process through which Pantami emerged as the party’s candidate.
The judgment has effectively reopened the PDP governorship ticket contest in Gombe State, as the party is now required to organise another primary to determine its candidate for the 2027 election.
Garry had challenged the validity of the process, arguing that the procedure adopted by the PDP did not constitute a valid governorship primary under the party’s guidelines and the relevant electoral framework.
The PDP and Pantami had opposed the challenge and defended the validity of the process that produced the former minister.
How Pantami emerged
Pantami’s emergence as the PDP candidate followed a major political realignment ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The former minister had initially sought the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but his bid did not result in his emergence as the party’s consensus candidate as he lost to Jamilu Gwamna.
Following the development, Pantami moved to the PDP and joined the contest for the party’s governorship ticket.
He emerged from the PDP’s governorship process in May through voice affirmation and was subsequently announced by the party as its sole governorship candidate on June 26, 2026.
The process, however, became the subject of a legal challenge by Garry, who maintained that the procedure was defective and did not meet the requirements for a valid party primary.
The Federal High Court has now ordered the PDP to return to the primary-election process and conduct a fresh exercise in accordance with its guidelines and applicable electoral provisions.
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Legal challenge reopens ticket contest
The judgment has introduced a new dimension to the PDP’s preparations for the 2027 governorship election in Gombe.
With the process that produced Pantami nullified, the party’s governorship ticket has effectively been thrown open for another primary, subject to the court’s order, the party’s rules and the applicable electoral requirements.
The development also creates an opportunity for other aspirants who had sought the PDP ticket to participate in another nomination exercise.
For the party leadership, the immediate challenge is to comply with the court’s directive while ensuring that the fresh exercise meets the requirements contained in its constitution, guidelines and relevant electoral provisions.
The judgment also underscores the importance of compliance with prescribed procedures in the nomination of candidates for elective offices, particularly as political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections.
Pantami’s legal and political position will therefore be shaped by the outcome of the fresh primary, rather than by the earlier process that the court has now nullified.