The Federal High Court in Gombe has directed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to hold a fresh governorship primary in Gombe State, thereby invalidating the process that made former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Prof. Isa Ali Pantami the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.
Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed issued the order on Thursday while delivering judgment in a suit brought by PDP governorship aspirant Usman Aliyu Garry, who challenged Pantami’s emergence.
Garry contended that the process by which Pantami emerged did not amount to a valid governorship primary under the party’s guidelines and applicable electoral provisions.
Pantami joined the PDP after his attempt to secure the APC governorship ticket failed to make him the party’s consensus candidate. The APC later settled on Jamilu Gwamna.
After joining the PDP, Pantami emerged from the party’s governorship process in May through voice affirmation and was subsequently announced by the party as its sole governorship candidate on June 26, 2026.
The court, however, ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary in line with its guidelines and applicable electoral provisions.
The ruling came after earlier proceedings in which the PDP and Pantami defended the validity of the process that produced the former minister, while Garry insisted that the procedure was flawed.
The court had earlier reserved judgment after hearing arguments from the parties.
The judgment has therefore reopened the contest for the PDP governorship ticket in Gombe State, with the party now required to hold another primary to determine its candidate for the 2027 election.
In the meantime, Pantami has met with former Heads of Service and retired Permanent Secretaries from Gombe State to discuss challenges facing the state civil service and proposed reforms.
The delegation included former Heads of Service, among them Alhaji Usman Ahmed Maburuk and Alhaji Adamu Hussaini Abubakar, along with other retired senior public servants.
The meeting was also attended by PDP leaders, including the state chairman, Major-General Amnon Kalaye Kwaskebe (retd.), and other senior party officials.
During the engagement, the retired public servants voiced concerns over what they described as challenges affecting the state civil service.
Among the issues they highlighted were alleged departures from established procedures in appointments and promotions, the use of the designation “Overseeing Permanent Secretary,” delays in promotion exercises, and remuneration and staff welfare.
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They called for measures to strengthen the service and improve the conditions under which civil servants operate.
In response, Pantami said he had developed a reform blueprint in consultation with serving and retired public servants aimed at addressing some of the challenges raised.
He said the proposed policy would undergo further consultations with relevant stakeholders to ensure that it addressed workers’ concerns and strengthened the state civil service.
Pantami cited his experience in reforming federal agencies, including the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), saying revised conditions of service had been developed under his leadership at the agencies.
He said lessons from those experiences could be adapted to the Gombe State civil service, particularly in remuneration, allowances, career progression, and institutional development.
According to the meeting’s account, the retired public servants and Pantami agreed to collaborate on tackling the challenges facing the service, with the proposed reform agenda anticipated to become part of political discussions leading up to the May 29, 2027 governorship election.
