Pantami’s Gombe Governorship Bid: The Defection, Court Battles, INEC U-Turn

The legal battle over Professor Isa Ali Pantami’s bid to become the next governor of Gombe State took another turn on October 29, 2026, when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) approved his petition challenging his exclusion from the 2027 governorship race.

The decision paved the way for the inclusion of Pantami’s name in INEC’s list of candidates, after the commission had initially left him out, citing provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 on party membership registers.

However, his inclusion is not the end of the controversy. INEC confirmed the approval on October 30 but noted that pending court cases could still affect the outcome.

The development is the latest chapter in a political and legal battle that began with Pantami’s withdrawal from the APC governorship primary, continued through a disputed PDP primary and a court-ordered rerun, and culminated in his initial exclusion from INEC’s list.

Here is how the events unfolded.

May 19, 2026: Pantami withdraws from APC primary

Pantami withdrew from the APC governorship primary after the party adopted Jamilu Gwamna as its consensus candidate ahead of the May 21 exercise.

In a statement issued through Ibrahim Attahir of the Pantamiyya Movement, Pantami accused the party leadership of violating the Electoral Act 2026 and its guidelines.

He alleged that he was denied access to information concerning accreditation, voting procedures, agents and collation arrangements, describing the process as unsuitable for a credible contest.

May 26, 2026: Emerges PDP governorship candidate

Seven days after withdrawing from the APC primary, Pantami emerged as the PDP governorship candidate through voice affirmation at a primary organised by the party faction backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.

However, rival aspirants, particularly Usman Aliyu Garry and Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, challenged the process, questioning its compliance with the party’s constitution and electoral laws. Their objections subsequently resulted in court cases challenging the primary and Pantami’s eligibility.

July 11, 2026: Court reserves judgment

The Federal High Court in Gombe, presided over by Justice Amina-Aliyu Mohammed, heard arguments in a suit filed by Mailantarki. He challenged Pantami’s eligibility, arguing that the former minister was not a registered PDP member when he participated in the May 26 primary. His lawyer, Mustapha Ibrahim, SAN, urged the court to nullify the exercise and order a fresh primary. The court subsequently reserved judgment.

September 24, 2026: Court nullifies initial primary

The Federal High Court in Gombe nullified the May 26 primary and ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary within 30 days. The judgment followed challenges instituted by Garry and Mailantarki over the process that produced Pantami. However, the ruling did not amount to a blanket declaration that Pantami was not a PDP member. This distinction later became important in the dispute over his eligibility and INEC’s decision.

September 24, 2026: Supreme Court rules on party membership registers

On the same day, the Supreme Court delivered a separate judgment involving the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and INEC over provisions of the Electoral Act 2026. The apex court restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), and 77(7), along with Section 84(2), which govern political party membership registers and participation in party primaries.

Under Section 77(5), only members whose names appear on the membership register submitted to INEC at least 21 days before a primary, congress, or convention can participate.

Section 77(7) provides that a party that fails to comply with the membership-register submission requirement cannot sponsor a candidate.

Although the case was not directly about Pantami, INEC later relied on the judgment in explaining his exclusion.

September 29, 2026: Pantami wins PDP primary rerun

Following the court judgment, the PDP conducted a fresh governorship primary across Gombe State’s 11 local government areas. Pantami won with 2,054 votes, defeating Mailantarki, who scored 389 votes, and Garry, who secured 112 votes. The results were announced by Johnbull Shekarau, chairman of the PDP Governorship Primary Rerun Committee.

Despite his victory, questions surrounding Pantami’s membership registration and the party’s membership register continued to generate controversy.

October 6, 2026: INEC receives Supreme Court judgment

INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed that the commission had received the Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgment on the Electoral Act provisions.

He said INEC was reviewing the judgment and its implications for the 2027 elections, particularly the requirements governing political party membership registers.

October 10, 2026: INEC excludes Pantami from candidates’ list

INEC published its final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship elections without Pantami’s name and that of his running mate.

The omission came less than two weeks after he won the court-ordered PDP primary rerun.

The development renewed questions about his membership status and whether the PDP complied with the Electoral Act’s membership-register requirements.

October 12–14, 2026: Pantami’s lawyers challenge exclusion

Pantami’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Ahmed Raji, wrote to INEC on October 12, giving the commission 72 hours to include his name on the candidates’ list. The lawyers argued that Pantami had won a fresh primary held in compliance with the September 24 judgment and that INEC could not disqualify him independently without a court order.

They also maintained that Pantami was a duly registered PDP member whose name appeared in an updated membership register submitted by the party. However, INEC maintained that his exclusion, alongside that of PDP’s Ogun governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, resulted from non-compliance with Sections 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act 2026.

The commission relied on the Supreme Court judgment and its timetable, which required parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.

October 28, 2026: Court hears application to join Garry

The legal dispute moved to the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Pantami and the PDP challenged INEC’s decision to exclude his name.

On October 28, the court heard an application seeking to join Usman Aliyu Garry in the proceedings.

Garry’s lawyer, Eko Ejembe, SAN, raised concerns about related cases pending before the Court of Appeal in Gombe and the Federal High Court in Gombe.

He also challenged the September 29 rerun, arguing that questions surrounding Pantami’s eligibility and the PDP’s authority to nominate him remained unresolved.

The court, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, fixed November 2 to rule on the joinder application and consider pending briefs.

October 28, 2026: INEC clears Pantami

October 29, 2026: On Thursday, INEC cleared former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami. However, the commission stated that the clearance was subject to the outcomes of pending court cases.