The Defection, Court Battles, INEC U-Turn

The authorized battle over Professor Isa Ali Pantami’s bid to grow to be the following governor of Gombe State took one other activate October 29, 2026, when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) permitted his petition difficult his exclusion from the 2027 governorship race.

The resolution paved the way in which for the inclusion of Pantami’s identify in INEC’s record of candidates, after the fee had initially left him out, citing provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 on celebration membership registers.

However, his inclusion is just not the top of the controversy. INEC confirmed the approval on October 30 however famous that pending court docket instances might nonetheless have an effect on the end result.

The improvement is the most recent chapter in a political and authorized battle that started with Pantami’s withdrawal from the APC governorship major, continued by way of a disputed PDP major and a court-ordered rerun, and culminated in his preliminary exclusion from INEC’s record.

Here is how the occasions unfolded.

May 19, 2026: Pantami withdraws from APC major

Pantami withdrew from the APC governorship major after the celebration adopted Jamilu Gwamna as its consensus candidate forward of the May 21 train.

In a press release issued by way of Ibrahim Attahir of the Pantamiyya Movement, Pantami accused the celebration management of violating the Electoral Act 2026 and its tips.

He alleged that he was denied entry to info regarding accreditation, voting procedures, brokers and collation preparations, describing the method as unsuitable for a reputable contest.

May 26, 2026: Emerges PDP governorship candidate

Seven days after withdrawing from the APC major, Pantami emerged because the PDP governorship candidate by way of voice affirmation at a major organised by the celebration faction backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.

However, rival aspirants, significantly Usman Aliyu Garry and Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, challenged the method, questioning its compliance with the celebration’s structure and electoral legal guidelines. Their objections subsequently resulted in court docket instances difficult the first and Pantami’s eligibility.

July 11, 2026: Court reserves judgment

The Federal High Court in Gombe, presided over by Justice Amina-Aliyu Mohammed, heard arguments in a go well with filed by Mailantarki. He challenged Pantami’s eligibility, arguing that the previous minister was not a registered PDP member when he participated within the May 26 major. His lawyer, Mustapha Ibrahim, SAN, urged the court docket to nullify the train and order a recent major. The court docket subsequently reserved judgment.

September 24, 2026: Court nullifies preliminary major

The Federal High Court in Gombe nullified the May 26 major and ordered the PDP to conduct a recent governorship major inside 30 days. The judgment adopted challenges instituted by Garry and Mailantarki over the method that produced Pantami. However, the ruling didn’t quantity to a blanket declaration that Pantami was not a PDP member. This distinction later grew to become necessary within the dispute over his eligibility and INEC’s resolution.

September 24, 2026: Supreme Court guidelines on celebration membership registers

On the identical day, the Supreme Court delivered a separate judgment involving the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and INEC over provisions of the Electoral Act 2026. The apex court docket restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), and 77(7), together with Section 84(2), which govern political celebration membership registers and participation in celebration primaries.

Under Section 77(5), solely members whose names seem on the membership register submitted to INEC no less than 21 days earlier than a major, congress, or conference can take part.

Section 77(7) supplies {that a} celebration that fails to adjust to the membership-register submission requirement can not sponsor a candidate.

Although the case was in a roundabout way about Pantami, INEC later relied on the judgment in explaining his exclusion.

September 29, 2026: Pantami wins PDP major rerun

Following the court docket judgment, the PDP carried out a recent governorship major throughout Gombe State’s 11 native authorities areas. Pantami gained with 2,054 votes, defeating Mailantarki, who scored 389 votes, and Garry, who secured 112 votes. The outcomes had been introduced by Johnbull Shekarau, chairman of the PDP Governorship Primary Rerun Committee.

Despite his victory, questions surrounding Pantami’s membership registration and the celebration’s membership register continued to generate controversy.

October 6, 2026: INEC receives Supreme Court judgment

INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed that the fee had obtained the Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgment on the Electoral Act provisions.

He stated INEC was reviewing the judgment and its implications for the 2027 elections, significantly the necessities governing political celebration membership registers.

October 10, 2026: INEC excludes Pantami from candidates’ record

INEC revealed its closing record of candidates for the 2027 governorship elections with out Pantami’s identify and that of his operating mate.

The omission got here lower than two weeks after he gained the court-ordered PDP major rerun.

The improvement renewed questions on his membership standing and whether or not the PDP complied with the Electoral Act’s membership-register necessities.

October 12–14, 2026: Pantami’s attorneys problem exclusion

Pantami’s authorized workforce, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Ahmed Raji, wrote to INEC on October 12, giving the fee 72 hours to incorporate his identify on the candidates’ record. The attorneys argued that Pantami had gained a recent major held in compliance with the September 24 judgment and that INEC couldn’t disqualify him independently with no court docket order.

They additionally maintained that Pantami was a duly registered PDP member whose identify appeared in an up to date membership register submitted by the celebration. However, INEC maintained that his exclusion, alongside that of PDP’s Ogun governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, resulted from non-compliance with Sections 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act 2026.

The fee relied on the Supreme Court judgment and its timetable, which required events to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.

October 28, 2026: Court hears utility to hitch Garry

The authorized dispute moved to the Federal High Court in Abuja, the place Pantami and the PDP challenged INEC’s resolution to exclude his identify.

On October 28, the court docket heard an utility looking for to hitch Usman Aliyu Garry within the proceedings.

Garry’s lawyer, Eko Ejembe, SAN, raised considerations about associated instances pending earlier than the Court of Appeal in Gombe and the Federal High Court in Gombe.

He additionally challenged the September 29 rerun, arguing that questions surrounding Pantami’s eligibility and the PDP’s authority to appoint him remained unresolved.

The court docket, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, fastened November 2 to rule on the joinder utility and take into account pending briefs.

October 28, 2026: INEC clears Pantami

October 29, 2026: On Thursday, INEC cleared former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami. However, the fee acknowledged that the clearance was topic to the outcomes of pending court docket instances.