GOMBE, Nigeria — The Federal High Court in Gombe has reserved its judgment in a high-stakes lawsuit contesting the validity of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship primary election that selected the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, as the party's flagbearer for the 2027 gubernatorial race.
The legal challenge was instituted by a disgruntled gubernatorial aspirant under the party, Khamisu Mailantarki, and is being presided over by Justice Amina-Aliyu Mohammed. Following extensive arguments from the legal counsels representing the plaintiff and the defendants, the presiding judge announced that the court would communicate a definitive date for the final ruling in due course.
Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, the lead counsel for the plaintiff, Mustapha Ibrahim, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, explained that his client is formally contesting the legality of the primary election. He argued that the entire internal process was fundamentally flawed because an individual who did not meet the requisite qualifications was permitted to participate in the contest.
Ibrahim confirmed that both the core substantive suit and the preliminary objections raised by the defense team had been fully ventilated before the judge. He also dismissed any concerns regarding the sudden withdrawal of a second plaintiff from the suit, maintaining that the case remains completely intact and legally valid since Mailantarki is actively pursuing the litigation to its logical conclusion. The plaintiff's counsel is urging the court to completely nullify the primary election held on May 26 and compel the political party to organize a fresh governorship primary restricted exclusively to qualified aspirants. He alleged that Pantami was not a card-carrying or registered member of the Peoples Democratic Party at the time the primary was conducted and should have been disqualified from running.
In response, the lead counsel for the Peoples Democratic Party, Kamaldeen Ajibade, also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, verified that the political party is currently managing three separate pre-election litigations before the court.
Ajibade noted that while arguments in Mailantarki's suit have been concluded and judgment reserved, a secondary case has been adjourned until July 23. Furthermore, he stated that a completely separate lawsuit initiated by a different governorship aspirant against both the party and Pantami is slated for the adoption of processes before a final judgment date can be determined. The impending judicial ruling will ultimately dictate whether Pantami's nomination stands or if the opposition party will be forced to restart its candidate selection process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
