PDP’s right to field Pantami challenged again

The legal battle over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s governorship candidate in Gombe State ahead of the 2027 general elections has taken a fresh turn, following a formal petition by one of the aspirants, Usman Aliyu Garry, challenging the party’s legal capacity to nominate Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami as its candidate for the 2027 governorship election

In the letter addressed to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan, Garry through his lawyers, alleged irregularities in the party’s membership records and the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

In the seven-page letter, dated October 12, 2026, showing it was received by INEC on October 13, Garry urged the commission to scrutinise the PDP’s membership register and establish whether the party complied with the legal requirements governing the submission of membership records and the nomination of candidates.

The lawyers reportedly anchored their argument on Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026, which provides for the submission of political parties’ membership registers to INEC within the period prescribed by law.

They also cited the Supreme Court judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, suit number SC/CV/495/2026, delivered on September 24, 2026, in support of their position on compliance with electoral laws and the requirements governing party membership records.

The legal team said Pantami’s alleged membership of the PDP after the deadline for the submission of the party’s membership register raises questions about his eligibility to participate in the party’s governorship primary.

The lawyers argued that the commission should determine whether Pantami’s name was duly captured in the relevant membership records before the deadline and whether the PDP complied with the applicable legal provisions in presenting him as its governorship candidate.

They further drew INEC’s attention to proceedings connected with suit number FHC/GM/CS/09/2026, urging the commission to take the relevant legal issues into consideration in carrying out its statutory responsibilities asking INEC to examine the PDP’s digital membership register for Gombe State and verify the relevant entries before taking any decision concerning the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

The petition adds another dimension to the political and legal disputes surrounding the PDP’s governorship candidate in Gombe State, where the outcome of the party’s nomination process has remained a subject of contention.

INEC’s response to the petition, as well as any subsequent legal developments, could prove significant in determining the next stage of the dispute.