Gombe 2027: Wike-Backed PDP Clears Pantami, 2 Others for Fresh Primary Today

The Nyesom Wike-backed faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State will conduct its fresh governorship primary today, Tuesday, September 29,  with former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, among the three aspirants cleared to participate.

The other two aspirants are Usman Aliyu Garry and Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki.

The exercise follows a September 24 judgment of the Federal High Court in Gombe, which nullified the earlier PDP governorship primary that produced Pantami and directed the party to conduct another primary within 30 days.

The State Publicity Secretary of the faction, Abdulkadir Ahmed Dukku, confirmed on Monday that preparations had been completed for the fresh exercise.

Dukku said the primary would be conducted in accordance with the court judgment and the relevant rules of the party.

“We will conduct the fresh primary in accordance with the judgment of the Federal High Court,” he said.

The party had earlier announced September 29 as the date for the repeat primary and directed eligible members and delegates to assemble at their respective ward areas to participate in the exercise.

The fresh contest has reopened the battle for the PDP governorship ticket in Gombe after Pantami’s earlier emergence was set aside by the court.

Pantami had emerged from the party’s May 26 primary through a voice affirmation after joining the PDP following his withdrawal from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship race.

His emergence was subsequently challenged by rival aspirants, including Garry and Mailantarki, who questioned the procedure used by the party to produce him as its candidate.

The Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed, held that the process did not comply with the PDP’s internal regulations and applicable electoral provisions.

The court consequently ordered the party to return to the primary process and conduct a fresh exercise.

However, the court did not grant the request seeking to remove Pantami from the PDP or permanently prevent him from seeking the party’s nomination.

That aspect of the judgment has become a major point of disagreement ahead of today’s exercise.

Garry, who was among those who challenged the earlier primary, has opposed Pantami’s participation in the fresh contest.

Speaking with journalists in Gombe on Monday, Garry said the fresh primary should be limited to aspirants who met the relevant requirements within the stipulated period.

He recalled that a screening committee led by former Kaduna State Governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, had screened the party’s governorship aspirants before the earlier primary.

According to Garry, some aspirants were prevented from taking part in the previous exercise, leading to the legal action that eventually resulted in the court-ordered rerun.

He said he and other aspirants had written to the PDP leadership and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), asking that Pantami be prevented from participating in the fresh primary.

Garry’s argument centres on the timing of Pantami’s entry into the PDP.

He maintained that the former minister joined the party after the list of governorship aspirants had already been submitted to INEC.

“Pantami joined the PDP on May 19, and the court also confirmed that. Therefore, his name was not on the list of the party’s aspirants submitted to INEC. He should not be allowed to participate in the fresh primary,” Garry said.

The Federal High Court judgment itself did not permanently disqualify the former minister.

It instead nullified the earlier primary and ordered the PDP to conduct another exercise in compliance with its rules and applicable electoral laws.

Mailantarki, another aspirant who challenged the earlier process, has taken a different position ahead of the fresh contest.

The former member of the House of Representatives called for calm among PDP members and supporters across the state’s 11 local government areas and 114 wards.

He also urged the party leadership to ensure a transparent process and provide equal opportunity for all the aspirants.

Mailantarki said the court judgment had addressed concerns he and others had raised over the previous primary.

“It is a good development and we are going to run in the contest together with him, and so it’s a good development, and we are calling even all our supporters to be calm and to take this in good faith, to abide by whatever comes out of it,” he said.

On the reported appeal against the judgment, Mailantarki said any party member dissatisfied with a court decision was entitled to seek further judicial clarification.

He also urged PDP members to respect the outcome of the fresh primary once it is concluded.

The controversy over Pantami’s eligibility has also coincided with a recent Supreme Court decision concerning provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 relating to party membership registers and candidate nomination procedures.

The apex court restored key provisions dealing with membership registers and nomination processes.

The judgment has generated fresh questions over politicians who changed political parties before seeking nominations for the 2027 elections.

However, reports on the Supreme Court judgment indicate that it did not make a candidate-specific determination disqualifying Pantami from today’s Gombe PDP primary.

The separate Federal High Court judgment in Gombe dealt directly with the process through which Pantami emerged from the earlier PDP primary.

Meanwhile, INEC has confirmed that it will monitor the fresh PDP governorship primary.

The commission’s Public Relations Officer in Gombe, Mohorret Bigun, confirmed that the state office had received communication from the commission’s national headquarters regarding the exercise.

“Yes, we received a letter to that effect from the National Headquarters, the primary elections will hold on Tuesday,” Bigun said.