The Nyesom Wike-backed faction of the PDP in Gombe State has confirmed that the court-ordered fresh governorship primary election will hold on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. The party’s State Publicity Secretary, Abdulkadir Ahmed Dukku, disclosed this in a telephone interview. According to him, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Usman Aliyu Garry, and Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki are the three aspirants cleared to participate in the fresh governorship primary.
The fresh primary will 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. Dukku said the party was fully prepared for the exercise and would abide by the court’s directive. He 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 him from contesting.
However, one of the aspirants, Usman Aliyu Garry, has opposed Pantami’s participation in the fresh governorship primary. Garry, who challenged the earlier primary that produced Pantami as the party’s candidate, said he was ready to participate in the rerun but insisted that Pantami should not be allowed to contest. He alleged that Pantami’s name was not contained in the list of governorship aspirants submitted by the PDP to INEC on May 10.
Garry said a screening committee led by former Kaduna State Governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, had earlier screened the party’s governorship aspirants. He claimed that some aspirants were denied the opportunity to participate in the last primary, prompting them to approach the court. The court subsequently nullified the earlier primary and ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary.
Another aspirant, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, expressed confidence that he would emerge victorious in the rescheduled primary. He stressed that the PDP needed a credible, experienced, and widely accepted candidate to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election. Mailantarki called on his supporters and PDP members across the 114 wards in the 11 local government areas to remain calm and united ahead of the exercise.
The Gombe State office of INEC has confirmed that the fresh primary to elect the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State will hold on Tuesday as scheduled. The Public Relations Officer of INEC, Mohorret Bigun, confirmed the development in a telephone conversation. The PDP’s fresh primary comes ahead of the 2027 general elections, where the party will challenge the APC for control of Gombe State.
The development follows 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. The PDP has assured its members and stakeholders that the exercise will be conducted transparently and in accordance with the court’s judgment.
Key points
- The PDP will conduct a fresh governorship primary in Gombe State on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
- Three aspirants, including Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, have been cleared to participate in the primary.
- The fresh primary is a result of a court order that nullified the earlier primary that produced Pantami as the party’s candidate.
