By Mardiyyah Abubakar
The Federal High Court in Gombe has cancelled Prof. Isa Ali Pantami’s emergence as the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Gombe State.
The court also directed the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary in accordance with its guidelines and relevant electoral laws.
Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed gave the order on Thursday while delivering judgment in a suit filed by PDP governorship aspirant Usman Aliyu Garry.
Garry had challenged the process that produced Pantami as the party’s candidate, arguing that the exercise did not comply with the party’s rules and applicable electoral requirements.
Pantami and the PDP opposed the challenge and maintained that his emergence followed the party’s procedures and the law.
Pantami, a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, moved from the All Progressives Congress to the PDP after the APC settled on Jamilu Gwamna as its consensus candidate in Gombe.
He subsequently emerged as the PDP’s candidate through voice affirmation at the party’s governorship primary in May, before the party formally announced him as its sole candidate in June.
The court’s decision means the PDP must return to the primary process to select its candidate for the 2027 Gombe governorship election.
The ruling follows a series of legal challenges by aspirants who questioned the process through which Pantami emerged as the party’s candidate.
