Gombe 2027: Wike-Backed PDP Faction Clears 3 For Fresh Governorship Primary Tuesday

The Nyesom Wike-backed faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State has confirmed that the court-ordered fresh governorship primary election will hold today, Tuesday, September 29, 2026.

The party said three aspirants, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami; Usman Aliyu Garry; and Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, have been cleared to participate in the exercise.

The State Publicity Secretary of the faction, Abdulkadir Ahmed Dukku, disclosed this in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Monday.

Dukku said the fresh primary would be conducted in compliance with the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Gombe, which nullified the earlier primary that produced Pantami as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 general elections.

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

Dukku also dismissed reports that Pantami had been barred from participating in the fresh primary, saying the party was not aware of any Supreme Court judgment preventing the former minister from contesting.

He further confirmed that Garry and Mailantarki had also been cleared for the exercise.

However, Garry, who challenged the earlier primary that produced Pantami, has opposed Pantami’s participation in today’s rerun.

Garry said the fresh primary should be restricted to eligible aspirants in line with the court order, insisting that Pantami should not be allowed to contest.

He told journalists in Gombe on Monday that a screening committee led by former Kaduna State Governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, had earlier screened the party’s governorship aspirants.

According to him, some aspirants were denied the opportunity to participate in the previous primary, prompting them to seek judicial intervention.

Garry said he and other aspirants had written to the PDP leadership and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), urging them to prevent Pantami from participating in the fresh exercise.

He based his position on his interpretation that Pantami’s name was not contained in the list of governorship aspirants submitted by the PDP to INEC on May 10.

“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.

He urged the PDP and INEC to ensure that the primary was conducted transparently and in accordance with the court’s judgment.

Meanwhile, Mailantarki expressed confidence ahead of the exercise and called on PDP supporters across the state’s 114 wards and 11 local government areas to remain calm and united.

The former member of the House of Representatives also urged the party leadership to provide a level playing field for all aspirants, saying transparency and fairness were necessary to maintain the unity of the party.

Mailantarki said the court judgment had vindicated his position that the earlier primary was marred by irregularities and did not reflect the wishes of party members.

“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.

Reacting to reports of an appeal by Garry against the judgment, Mailantarki said it was the right of any party member dissatisfied with a court decision to seek further judicial clarification.

He urged PDP members to accept the outcome of the fresh exercise and respect due process.

The development followed the September 24 judgment of the Federal High Court in Gombe, which nullified the PDP governorship primary that produced Pantami and ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary within 30 days.

Meanwhile, the Gombe State office of INEC has confirmed that the fresh PDP governorship primary will hold today as scheduled.

The INEC Public Relations Officer in the state, Mohorret Bigun, confirmed the development in a telephone conversation, saying the commission had received a letter from its 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.

The fresh primary comes amid continuing legal questions surrounding party membership registers and nomination procedures following a recent Supreme Court judgment restoring relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026. However, the Supreme Court judgment itself did not make a candidate-specific determination on Pantami’s eligibility for today’s Gombe primary.