Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has again emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Gombe State ahead of the 2027 election, after winning the party’s court-ordered fresh primary.
The rerun was conducted on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, following a Federal High Court judgment that nullified Pantami’s earlier emergence as the party’s candidate and ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh primary in accordance with its constitution, electoral guidelines and applicable law.
Pantami contested the fresh exercise alongside Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry.
However, reports from major Nigerian news organisations contain different figures for the final result. Channels Television reported that Pantami received 2,054 votes, while Mailantarki and Garry scored 389 and 112 votes respectively. TheCable, citing the result it obtained, reported 817 votes for Pantami, 153 for Mailantarki and 50 for Garry.
The PDP’s returning officer, Johnbull Shekarau, was reported to have declared Pantami the winner after the results were collated.
Pantami’s first emergence as the PDP candidate had taken place in May through a voice-affirmation process.
The process was subsequently challenged in court by PDP governorship aspirant Usman Aliyu Garry, who argued that the party had not conducted a valid primary in accordance with its rules and applicable electoral requirements.
On September 24, Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Gombe nullified the earlier process and ordered the PDP to conduct another governorship primary within 30 days.
Channels Television reported that the court found the earlier primary had failed to comply with the PDP’s internal regulations and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
The court’s decision did not, however, amount to a final determination that Pantami could never contest for the PDP ticket. According to Channels Television, the court declined requests to disqualify him or remove him as a PDP member over allegations concerning his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Although the PDP cleared Pantami, Mailantarki and Garry to participate in the fresh primary, the issue of Pantami’s eligibility has continued to generate controversy.
Before the rerun, lawyers representing the plaintiffs reportedly filed a notice of appeal and sought a stay of execution, arguing that Pantami should not participate in another primary. The legal team also raised questions concerning the timing of his PDP membership and the party’s membership register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The rerun nevertheless went ahead on September 29, with Pantami on the ballot.
Following the announcement of the result, Mailantarki rejected Pantami’s victory and argued that Pantami was not eligible to participate. He claimed that the votes credited to Pantami should therefore be regarded as invalid and declared himself the rightful winner based on that interpretation.
Garry also expressed dissatisfaction with aspects of the exercise and raised concerns about voting in his area.
These claims represent the aspirants’ positions and have not, at the time of reporting, displaced the result announced by the PDP’s electoral committee.
Pantami’s victory means the PDP has completed another stage of its process for selecting a candidate for the Gombe governorship election. However, the nomination remains subject to the applicable electoral and legal processes.
One immediate issue is the possibility of further litigation. Mailantarki has rejected the result on eligibility grounds, while Garry has also raised objections. Any subsequent court action could affect the status of the nomination depending on the reliefs sought and decisions reached by the courts.
The PDP will also have to complete the necessary nomination documentation and submit the candidate’s details to INEC in accordance with the commission’s timetable.
INEC’s revised 2027 election schedule provides for the publication of the final list of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates on October 10, 2026. The governorship and State Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
The timeline gives the party and the affected aspirants limited room to resolve any outstanding legal or administrative disputes before the electoral commission finalises the candidate list.
Pantami’s political journey to the PDP ticket has already involved a change of party and a court challenge.
He initially sought the Gombe governorship ticket under the APC but withdrew from its primary, citing alleged breaches in the electoral process. He subsequently joined the PDP and emerged as its candidate through the May affirmation process.
The Federal High Court’s intervention forced the PDP to repeat the exercise, giving Mailantarki and Garry another opportunity to contest the ticket.
Pantami’s victory in the rerun has now restored him to the position of PDP candidate announced by the party, but the objections raised after the exercise mean the legal and electoral status of the nomination remains an issue to watch.
For now, the next key developments will be any appeals or other court proceedings arising from the rerun, the PDP’s submission of its nomination documents, and INEC’s publication of the final list of Gombe governorship candidates.