By Iroyin Yoruba Television
Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, has again emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party's governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Gombe State after winning the party's fresh primary election.
The repeat primary was conducted across the 11 local government areas of Gombe State on Tuesday, September 29, following a Federal High Court judgment that nullified the earlier process through which Pantami had initially emerged as the party's candidate.
Pantami defeated two other aspirants, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry, in the fresh contest.
Results announced by the PDP's governorship primary committee showed Pantami polling 2,054 votes, while Mailantarki received 389 votes and Garry secured 112 votes.
The latest result gives Pantami another PDP ticket after his first emergence was successfully challenged in court.
FRESH PRIMARY AFTER COURT RULING
The new election became necessary after the Federal High Court in Gombe nullified the earlier PDP governorship primary.
The court ruled on September 24 that the process through which Pantami initially emerged did not comply with the party's laid-down procedures and applicable electoral provisions.
The judgment followed legal challenges brought by rival PDP aspirants.
The court consequently directed the party to conduct another governorship primary within 30 days.
The PDP subsequently scheduled September 29 for the fresh exercise and cleared Pantami, Mailantarki and Garry to participate.
VOTING ACROSS THE STATE
The repeat primary was conducted across 114 wards in Gombe State's 11 local government areas.
The exercise was designed to provide the three cleared aspirants with an opportunity to compete through a fresh voting process rather than the earlier method that had been challenged in court.
The results were later collated and announced at the Gombe State PDP Secretariat.
The chairman of the party's governorship primary rerun committee, Johnbull Shekarau, announced Pantami as the winner.
The result gives the former minister a renewed mandate from the party's participating members following the judicial intervention that cancelled his previous emergence.
PANTAMI'S SECOND EMERGENCE
Pantami had initially secured the PDP governorship ticket in May through a voice affirmation.
That earlier process was challenged by rival aspirants who argued that it did not constitute a valid primary conducted in accordance with the party's rules and relevant electoral requirements.
The Federal High Court subsequently ordered a fresh exercise.
Pantami's victory in the rerun means he has now obtained the party's ticket through a contested voting process involving the three aspirants cleared for the election.
The development changes the immediate political situation within the Gombe PDP as the party prepares for the 2027 governorship election.
THE TWO RIVALS
Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry were the other two aspirants who participated in the fresh primary.
Mailantarki finished second with 389 votes, while Garry recorded 112 votes.
Both had previously challenged aspects of Pantami's original emergence.
Their participation in the rerun followed the party's decision to clear the three aspirants after the court ordered a fresh primary.
The new voting process therefore allowed the contestants to seek the ticket under the revised arrangement.
WHY THE COURT ORDER MATTERED
The court intervention was significant because political parties are required to follow their own rules and applicable electoral requirements when selecting candidates.
The earlier PDP process became the subject of litigation after rival aspirants questioned the manner in which Pantami emerged.
The court's decision did not prevent Pantami from contesting the fresh primary.
Instead, it required the party to conduct another exercise.
The latest result therefore follows a different process from the one that was nullified.
PDP'S 2027 GOMBE CAMPAIGN
Pantami's emergence places him at the centre of the PDP's preparations for the 2027 Gombe governorship election.
The party will now have to organise its campaign activities around the candidate produced by the fresh primary.
The process also provides the party with an opportunity to consolidate its structures ahead of the wider election season.
Political parties normally use the period after primary elections to strengthen internal coordination, mobilise supporters and develop campaign programmes.
The PDP's next steps in Gombe will therefore include managing the aftermath of the primary and preparing for the wider electoral contest.
INTERNAL PARTY UNITY
The fresh primary also leaves the party with the task of managing relationships among the aspirants and their supporters.
Primary elections can create disagreements because candidates compete for the same party ticket.
In Gombe, that challenge was already reflected in the legal dispute that led to the cancellation of the first primary.
The new result provides a formally contested outcome, but the party will still need to maintain cohesion among its members as the 2027 election approaches.
The participation of the other two aspirants in the rerun provides a basis for the party to move forward under the new result.
PANTAMI'S POLITICAL JOURNEY
Pantami previously served as Nigeria's Minister of Communications and Digital Economy between 2019 and 2023.
Before joining the PDP, he sought the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress in Gombe.
After that process did not produce him as the APC's candidate, he moved to the PDP and subsequently became the party's governorship candidate through the initial primary.
His first PDP nomination was later nullified by the court, leading to the latest contest.
His victory in the rerun now restores his position as the PDP's candidate, subject to any further legal or electoral developments.
WHAT THE NEW RESULT MEANS
The latest primary settles the immediate question of who will represent the PDP in the Gombe governorship contest following the court-ordered rerun.
Pantami now has a fresh primary result to underpin his nomination within the party.
The party will nevertheless have to complete the administrative and electoral procedures associated with candidate nomination.
The result also gives the PDP a clearer basis for organising its campaign for the 2027 election.
THE ROLE OF THE COURTS
The Gombe primary demonstrates the role courts can play in resolving disputes arising from internal party processes.
Political parties conduct their primaries, but disputes over compliance with party rules and electoral requirements can be taken before the courts.
In this case, the Federal High Court found sufficient grounds to nullify the earlier exercise and order another primary.
The subsequent rerun produced a new result through a voting process involving the three cleared aspirants.
Any further dispute arising from the latest exercise would have to follow the applicable legal procedures.
NEXT STEPS FOR THE PDP
With the fresh primary completed, attention will shift toward the party's preparations for the 2027 election.
The PDP will need to work with its candidate and state structures to organise its campaign.
The party will also need to maintain communication with members who supported the other aspirants.
Political parties generally require internal coordination after primaries because supporters of unsuccessful candidates remain important to the wider electoral effort.
How the Gombe PDP manages that process will form part of its preparations for the next stage of the election.
THE 2027 GOVERNORSHIP CONTEST
The Gombe governorship election is scheduled as part of Nigeria's 2027 electoral cycle.
Pantami's emergence provides the PDP with a candidate for the contest after the party's internal selection process went through a judicial review and a rerun.
The APC and other political parties will also have their own candidates and campaign structures.
The eventual election outcome will be determined by voters through the electoral process.
The current development concerns only the PDP's internal selection of its candidate.
A NEW PHASE FOR PANTAMI
Pantami's second emergence marks a new phase in his attempt to secure the Gombe governorship.
Unlike the initial process, which was conducted through voice affirmation and subsequently nullified by the court, the latest exercise involved voting among the three cleared aspirants across the state's 114 wards.
His 2,054 votes placed him ahead of Mailantarki and Garry in the fresh contest.
The result now gives the former minister the PDP ticket through the rerun ordered after the court judgment.
CONCLUSION
Isa Ali Pantami has won the fresh PDP governorship primary in Gombe State and will again represent the party in the 2027 governorship contest, following the completion of the court-ordered rerun.
The fresh election was held after the Federal High Court nullified the earlier primary and directed the PDP to conduct another exercise.
Pantami defeated Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry in the rerun.
The development closes the immediate chapter of the dispute over the PDP's Gombe governorship ticket and moves the party into the next phase of preparations for the 2027 election.
The focus will now turn to candidate nomination, party organisation, campaign preparations and the management of internal party relations ahead of the wider electoral contest.