Gombe Court Nullifies Isa Pantami as PDP Governorship Candidate

A Federal High Court in Gombe nullified the emergence of Professor Isa Ali Pantami as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 election. Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed issued the ruling on September 24, 2026, after finding that the party's use of voice affirmation to select Pantami on May 26 violated the Electoral Act and internal guidelines requiring formal voting.

The lawsuit was filed by aspirant Usman Aliyu Garry, who characterized the original selection process as an undemocratic political jamboree. Pantami, a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, had defected to the PDP from the All Progressives Congress after the latter selected Jamilu Gwamna as its consensus candidate.

The court ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh primary election within 30 days. The party accepted the judgment and scheduled a repeat primary for Tuesday, September 29, 2026. The PDP cleared three aspirants to contest the rescheduled vote: Isa Ali Pantami, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, and Usman Aliyu Garry. Party leadership noted that while the primary was nullified, the ruling validated Pantami's membership and entry procedures into the party.