Reported by Simon Daniel Yusuph l Journalist at Weng Global
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State has fixed Tuesday, September 29, 2026, for a fresh governorship primary following a Federal High Court judgment that nullified the process that produced former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.
The decision reopens the PDP’s governorship contest in Gombe just days after the court directed the party to conduct another primary in accordance with its constitution, electoral guidelines and applicable laws.
The party’s Gombe State Publicity Secretary, Abdulkadir Ahmed Dukku, announced the new date in a statement issued on Friday.
According to the notice, eligible PDP members and delegates are expected to participate in the repeat exercise at designated ward centres across the state.
Pantami cleared alongside two other aspirants
The Gombe PDP has cleared three aspirants to participate in the fresh primary.
They are Isa Ali Pantami, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry.
The clearance means Pantami will have the opportunity to seek the party’s nomination again despite the court’s decision to nullify the earlier process through which he emerged as the PDP candidate.
The party has also cleared Garry, whose legal challenge led to the Federal High Court judgment, as well as Mailantarki, another prominent aspirant in the Gombe governorship contest.
Reports by Blueprint and other Nigerian news organisations said the three aspirants successfully completed the party’s clearance process for the fresh contest.
Court nullified earlier PDP primary
The fresh election follows a judgment delivered on September 24 by the Federal High Court in Gombe.
Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed nullified Pantami’s emergence as the PDP governorship candidate and directed the party to conduct a fresh primary.
The case was brought by Usman Aliyu Garry, who challenged the validity of the process through which Pantami emerged as the party’s candidate.
Garry argued that the earlier exercise did not amount to a valid governorship primary under the PDP’s rules and applicable electoral requirements.
Channels Television reported that the court ordered a fresh primary within 30 days and also directed Pantami to stop presenting himself as the PDP governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
The ruling effectively reopened the nomination process and required the PDP to undertake another exercise capable of producing its candidate in compliance with the court’s directives.
How Pantami emerged as PDP candidate
Pantami’s political journey in the 2027 Gombe governorship contest has involved both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP.
The former minister had initially participated in the APC’s preparations for the governorship race but later withdrew from the party’s primary process.
He subsequently joined the PDP and emerged from the party’s May 2026 governorship exercise.
Reports on the earlier process said Pantami was affirmed through a voice vote rather than a conventional ballot involving delegates.
That process was subsequently challenged in court by Garry.
Premium Times reported in July that the Federal High Court had reserved judgment in litigation concerning the validity of Pantami’s emergence. The court later delivered its judgment on September 24 and ordered a fresh primary.
PDP moves to implement court order
Following the judgment, the PDP moved quickly to organise another contest.
The party’s latest notice gives eligible members a specific date for the new exercise, while its clearance of the three aspirants establishes the field for the contest.
The PDP has said it accepted the court’s decision and would take the necessary steps to comply with the judgment.
The party has also called on its members, supporters and other stakeholders to maintain peace and order during the process.
The September 29 exercise is therefore expected to provide the party with a new opportunity to select its candidate through a process designed to meet the requirements outlined by the court.
What the fresh primary means for the 2027 election
The development leaves the PDP without a finalised governorship candidate in Gombe until the fresh primary is concluded and any subsequent legal or electoral requirements are satisfied.
The September 29 contest will determine which of the three cleared aspirants secures the party’s nomination, subject to the applicable electoral process.
The court’s intervention also underscores the legal importance of internal party primaries in Nigeria’s electoral system.
Political parties are required to conduct nomination exercises in accordance with their constitutions, internal guidelines and relevant provisions of electoral law. Disputes over how candidates emerge can subsequently reach the courts, particularly when aspirants challenge the validity of a primary.
The Gombe case demonstrates how internal party procedures can have direct consequences for the political timetable ahead of a general election.
Three-way contest now reopened
With Pantami, Mailantarki and Garry cleared, the PDP’s Gombe governorship contest has effectively returned to a three-way race.
Pantami enters the fresh contest after previously being declared the party’s candidate, while Garry returns after successfully challenging the earlier process in court.
Mailantarki also remains in contention after participating in the party’s earlier nomination process.
The new primary will therefore determine whether the party produces the same candidate through a fresh process or selects a different aspirant.
No outcome can be established before the September 29 exercise takes place.
What happens next
The immediate next step is the conduct of the PDP’s fresh governorship primary on Tuesday, September 29.
The party is expected to organise the exercise in line with the court’s directive and its own electoral guidelines.
The three cleared aspirants will compete for the PDP ticket, after which the successful candidate will become the party’s nominee for the 2027 Gombe governorship election, subject to applicable electoral procedures and any further legal challenges.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant stakeholders will also have roles to play as the electoral process progresses.
For the PDP, the priority will be to conduct the fresh exercise in a manner that satisfies the court’s requirements and reduces the likelihood of another dispute over the validity of its nomination process.
Weng Global – stories beyond borders
Sources
Federal High Court, Gombe
Peoples Democratic Party, Gombe State
Channels Television
Premium Times
TheCable
Daily Trust
Blueprint
