The Peoples Democratic Party in Gombe State is proceeding with a fresh governorship primary on Tuesday following a Federal High Court judgment that nullified the previous exercise that produced former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.
Three aspirants — Pantami, former House of Representatives member Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, and Usman Aliyu Garry — have been cleared by the party faction conducting the repeat exercise.
The fresh contest follows the September 24 judgment of the Federal High Court in Gombe, which nullified the earlier primary and directed the party to conduct another exercise within 30 days.
INEC Confirms Fresh Primary
The Gombe office of the Independent National Electoral Commission confirmed receiving communication from its national headquarters concerning the repeat primary.
INEC Public Relations Officer in the state, Mohorret Bigun, confirmed that the exercise would proceed on Tuesday.
PDP publicity secretary in Gombe, Abdulkadir Ahmed Dukku, had earlier issued a notice asking eligible delegates to assemble at their respective wards for the repeat exercise.
The primary, however, is taking place amid disagreement among the aspirants over who should be permitted to participate.
Garry Challenges Pantami’s Participation
Garry, who challenged the earlier primary, has objected to Pantami’s participation in the fresh exercise.
He argues that Pantami should not participate because, according to Garry, the former minister’s name was not included in the list of governorship aspirants earlier submitted by the PDP to INEC.
Garry said Pantami joined the PDP after that list had been submitted and has asked the party and electoral commission to prevent him from taking part in the rerun.
That remains Garry’s interpretation of the eligibility question rather than a candidate-specific determination by the Supreme Court.
The PDP faction organising the exercise has rejected the argument and cleared Pantami to participate.
Dukku said the party was not aware of any Supreme Court judgment specifically preventing the former minister from contesting the fresh primary.
Mailantarki Calls for Level Playing Field
Mailantarki has meanwhile urged the PDP leadership to ensure transparency and equal treatment for all participants.
He called on supporters across Gombe’s 114 wards and 11 local government areas to remain calm and respect the eventual outcome of the exercise.
The fresh primary comes amid wider legal scrutiny of party nomination processes ahead of the 2027 elections following court decisions concerning provisions of the Electoral Act.
The immediate task for the Gombe PDP will be completing a primary that satisfies the court order while managing the internal disagreements that followed the earlier exercise.
The outcome will determine the candidate presented by the relevant PDP structure for the Gombe governorship contest, subject to applicable electoral and judicial processes.
