By Ben Ngwakwe, Gombe
The political temperature in Gombe State rose another notch on Thursday following the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Gombe, which nullified the emergence of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed, in a judgment on a suit filed by PDP governorship aspirant, Usman Aliyu Garry, ordered the party to conduct a fresh governorship primary in accordance with its constitution, guidelines and applicable electoral laws.
The ruling has effectively reopened the PDP governorship contest in Gombe and placed the process through which Pantami emerged under fresh political and legal scrutiny.
Pantami had joined the PDP after withdrawing from the APC governorship race, following the emergence of Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna as the APC’s consensus candidate.
He subsequently emerged as the PDP’s candidate through a voice-affirmation process at the party’s governorship exercise in May.
Reacting to the development, the Director-General of the Gombe State Joint Projects Development and Essential Social Services Agency, Dr Mahmood Yusuf, expressed strong views on the political trajectory of the former minister and the circumstances surrounding his emergence under the PDP.
Yusuf, who wrote from Gombe, hinged his argument on provisions of the Electoral Act and the conduct of political party primaries.
According to him, the central questions arising from the development include whether Pantami was a registered member of the PDP within the statutory period preceding the party’s primary and whether the process adopted by the PDP complied with applicable electoral provisions.
He also questioned the use of voice affirmation in producing the party’s governorship candidate, arguing that the process deserved scrutiny against the legal requirements governing party primaries.
However, reports of the court proceedings indicate that Pantami and the PDP had defended the validity of his emergence and urged the court to dismiss the challenge. Pantami’s counsel also argued that he had resigned from the APC on May 19, 2026, before participating in the PDP process.
‘Pantami was desperate to become governor’
Reflecting on the events preceding Pantami’s movement from the APC to the PDP, Yusuf recalled meetings involving Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya and aspirants who had sought the APC governorship ticket.
He said the aspirants had agreed that the party should establish criteria for assessing the contenders based on factors including experience, political outreach, relationship with the party, grassroots acceptability and contribution to the APC.
According to Yusuf, Pantami was present at the meeting and indicated his willingness to abide by the outcome of the consensus process.
He therefore expressed surprise at subsequent comments attributed to Pantami concerning his relationship with Governor Inuwa Yahaya.
Yusuf argued that political processes, particularly the emergence of candidates through consensus, require patience, negotiation and adherence to agreed procedures.
He also questioned the former minister’s political transition from the APC to the PDP after the APC settled for another aspirant.
The politics of defection.
Pantami’s movement from the APC to the PDP has become one of the defining developments in the emerging 2027 political contest in Gombe State.
His initial ambition was to secure the APC governorship ticket.
Following the party’s adoption of Jamilu Gwamna as its consensus candidate, Pantami withdrew from the APC process and subsequently joined the PDP, where he was presented as the party’s sole governorship aspirant and emerged through voice affirmation.
That process was subsequently challenged in court by Garry, who argued that Pantami’s emergence did not constitute a valid primary in accordance with the party’s rules and applicable electoral provisions.
The court’s Thursday judgment has now directed the PDP to return to the field and conduct another governorship primary.
Channels Television reported that the court also ordered Pantami to stop parading himself as the PDP governorship candidate.
Where does Pantami go from here?
For Yusuf, the more profound question arising from the judgment is what the development means for Pantami’s political future in Gombe.
He argued that the former minister’s political journey had created strains in his relationship with sections of the APC establishment and with political actors in the state.
Yusuf maintained that politics, especially in a state where party structures, consensus-building and grassroots networks remain significant, cannot be reduced to individual ambition.
In his words, political advancement is a gradual process that requires consultation, negotiation and respect for established structures.
He advised Pantami to reflect on his political journey and consider a path that recognises the distinction between professional accomplishment and political organisation.
Beyond Pantami
The latest court ruling has therefore shifted the immediate focus from who carries the PDP flag to how the party intends to conduct a fresh process capable of withstanding further legal scrutiny.
For the PDP, the task is now to organise a fresh governorship primary in compliance with the court’s directive, its internal guidelines and applicable electoral provisions.
For Pantami, the development represents a significant turning point in his attempt to secure the Gombe governorship.
And for the wider political class in Gombe, the episode offers another reminder that the road to the 2027 election will be shaped not only by political popularity and ambition, but also by party rules, statutory requirements, internal negotiations and judicial scrutiny.
The contest, therefore, is far from over. What has changed is that the PDP must now return to the political drawing board and produce its governorship candidate through a fresh process.