Court Cancels Pantami’s PDP Nomination, Orders New Primary in Gombe

The Federal High Court in Gombe has canceled Isa Pantami's nomination as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2027 election. The court has also ordered the party to hold a new primary election.

According to Daily Trust, Amina Mohammed made this ruling on Thursday. This followed a lawsuit by an aspirant named Usman Garry, who challenged how Mr Pantami was nominated.

Mr Garry claimed the PDP did not carry out a valid primary election before naming Mr Pantami as its candidate on June 26.

Mr Pantami first sought the governorship ticket with the All Progressives Congress (APC). He switched to the PDP after the APC chose Jamilu Gwamna as its consensus candidate.

In May, Mr Pantami secured the PDP ticket through a voice affirmation process, which the court found improper.

Justice Mohammed, in her ruling, annulled Mr Pantami’s nomination. She barred him from calling himself the candidate and instructed the PDP to conduct a new, lawful primary according to its rules and the Electoral Act.

Mr Pantami’s selection as the PDP’s candidate for Gombe sparked a lot of debate in both the APC and PDP.

He was initially a strong contender in the APC. After the APC chose Mr Gwamna instead of him, he criticized the decision and moved to the PDP.

His quick shift to the PDP faced backlash from long-time party members and other aspirants, including Mr Garry and Khamisu Mailantarki.

They saw his rapid nomination through voice affirmation as an unfair “political jamboree” meant to avoid a real election and rob loyal PDP aspirants of their chance.

Mr Garry’s lawsuit argued that using voice affirmation without a proper delegate vote violated the PDP’s own rules and the Electoral Act.

The court agreed, stating that political parties cannot skip formal voting procedures to choose high-profile defectors.