Pantami slugs it out with 2 others as Gombe PDP holds primary today

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State has confirmed Professor Isa Ali Pantami, Usman Aliyu Garry and Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki as the three aspirants cleared to participate in its fresh governorship primary scheduled for Tuesday, September 29.
The party’s State Publicity Secretary, Abdulkadir Ahmed Dukku, confirmed the development in a telephone interview with our correspondent, saying the exercise would be conducted in compliance with the recent judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Gombe.
Dukku said the party is prepared for the fresh primary and would abide by the court’s directive ordering it to conduct another governorship primary.
“We will conduct the fresh primary in accordance with the judgment of the Federal High Court,” he said.
He also dismissed claims that Pantami had been barred from participating in the fresh exercise, saying the party was not aware of any Supreme Court judgment preventing the former minister from contesting adding that Garry and Mailantarki have equally been cleared to participate in Tuesday’s primary.
The development followed the September 24 judgment of the Federal High Court in Gombe, which nullified the process that produced Pantami as the PDP’s governorship candidate and ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary within 30 days.
The court’s decision followed legal challenges to the process through which Pantami emerged as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
Following the judgment, the Gombe PDP fixed Tuesday, September 29, for the fresh primary and directed eligible delegates to assemble at their respective ward areas to participate in the exercise.
The party had earlier said it received the judgment in good faith and would comply with the court’s directive.
With the clearance of Pantami, Garry and Mailantarki, the three aspirants are expected to participate in the fresh contest as the PDP seeks to produce its candidate for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election.