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) candidate for the 2027 governorship election in Gombe State.
Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed delivered the judgment on Thursday, September 24, 2026, in a suit filed by another PDP governorship aspirant, Usman Aliyu Garry, challenging the process through which Pantami emerged as the party’s candidate.
The court also ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary in Gombe State in compliance with the party’s rules and applicable electoral laws.
Garry had asked the court to invalidate Pantami’s nomination, arguing that the process leading to his emergence violated the PDP’s internal rules and relevant electoral provisions.
Pantami and the PDP opposed the suit, maintaining that the primary that produced the former minister was conducted in accordance with the party’s constitution, guidelines and the law.
In its judgment, however, the court set aside Pantami’s emergence and directed the PDP to return to the primary process and select its governorship candidate through a fresh exercise.
The ruling effectively reopens the PDP’s governorship contest in Gombe ahead of the 2027 election and puts the party’s May 26 primary under judicial scrutiny.
Pantami had joined the PDP after leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC), where he had sought the party’s governorship ticket.
His defection followed the APC primary that produced Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna as the party’s candidate for the governorship election.
After joining the PDP, Pantami was presented as the sole aspirant at the party’s governorship primary held on May 26, where he emerged through voice affirmation.
His emergence subsequently generated opposition from other aspirants, including Garry, Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Monica Kaltho, who raised questions over Pantami’s participation in the PDP process after his earlier involvement in the APC governorship contest.
The dispute eventually moved to the Federal High Court, with Garry seeking an order cancelling Pantami’s nomination and compelling the PDP to organise a fresh primary.
During the proceedings, Garry’s legal team urged the court to grant the reliefs sought, while counsel to Pantami and the PDP asked the court to dismiss the case, insisting that Pantami’s emergence was valid.
Justice Mohammed subsequently reserved judgment after hearing arguments from the parties.
Thursday’s judgment means the PDP will now have to organise another governorship primary to determine its candidate for Gombe State, subject to any further legal proceedings arising from the decision.
Pantami, a former minister and former Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), had emerged as the PDP’s governorship candidate after his defection from the APC.
The court’s decision has now nullified the disputed primary and reopened the opposition party’s race for the Gombe governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 election.
