By Williams Danjuma, Gombe
The camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State has been unsettled following the order of the Federal High Court sitting in Gombe on the party to conduct a fresh primary election.
Usman Aliyu Garry, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, all renowned contestants of the PDP Governorship ticket had challenged the emergence of Professor Isa Ali Pantami as the party’s Governorship candidate in the Federal High Court Gombe presided by Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed.
Delivering judgment on the suit Thursday afternoon after all proceedings, Justice Amina granted some of the prayers by the plaintiff which included the conduct of a fresh primary election that included the three of them.
Justice Amina therefore ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh Governorship primary election in accordance with the party’s guidelines and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act to produce the party’s candidate ahead of the 2027 election.
In the suit filed by the three contestants, they had alleged that Pantami’s emergence after the party announced him as its sole candidate on June 26, 2026, was not in accordance with the law.
Pantami, former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, was a Governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC), but joined the PDP few days after loosing the APC Governorship ticket to Dr Jamilu Isiyaku Gwamna, who was endorsed as the APC consensus candidate.
He subsequently secured the PDP ticket through a voice affirmation vote during the party’s Governorship primary held in May.
In their reactions to the the judgment, both counsels to Pantami and the three contestants, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the judgment.
Mohammed Ibrahim Attahir, is the counsel to the defendant, Professor Pantami, and this was his response: “I’m happy, satisfied and give gratitude to Allah even though that is not what we fought for or wanted.
“We are happier than our adversaries on the other side of the dispute because the initial relief they sought for were not granted.
“Their position was that our client is still a member of the APC, and the court rejected that. They canversed that our client is not a member of the PDP, the court rejected that, and they also canversed that our client is not an aspirant in the PDP, the court rejected that.
“The court rejected a number of reliefs they sought for. If you go through the judgment, you will notice that only part of their claims were granted. We are not bothered about facing a fresh primary election. So we are satisfied and commend the judgment.”
On his part, counsel to the plaintiff, Adrian Amadi, said there is no cause for alarm in the judgment and that they are better for it. He stated also that the primary is a procedure and the party is responsible for that.
“It is not something that is extraordinary, its a primary that is going to take place, the party has a programme and we will adjust in everything”, he responded when asked if the judgment could set the party backward.
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