PDP Lawyers Give INEC Three-Day Ultimatum to Publish Pantami's Name

Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor 

Lawyers to the Peoples Democratic Party and its Gombe State governorship candidate, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, have issued a three-day ultimatum to the Independent National Electoral Commission to publish his name on the final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election, describing his omission from the list published on October 10 as unlawful and unexplained. The demand was conveyed in a formal legal document dated October 12, 2026, addressed to the INEC Chairman and signed by senior advocates including Ahmed Raji, A.T. Kehinde, Abdul Mohammed, Wale Balogun and Tunde Falola. The law firm, Ahmed Raji & Co., gave the commission until Wednesday, October 14, 2026, to publish and circulate Pantami's name as the official PDP governorship candidate for Gombe State with the same prominence as other published candidates, warning of further legal action should the commission fail to comply.

The letter, titled "Unlawful and Unexplained Omission of the Name of Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim, the Nominated Candidate of the PDP, from the Final List of Candidates for the Office of Governor of Gombe State for the 2027 General Elections — Demand for Immediate Publication Within Three (3) Days," set out a detailed chronology of events leading to the dispute. According to the solicitors, Pantami is a duly registered member of the PDP at Pantami Ward in Gombe State, and the party had submitted an updated membership register containing his name to the commission. He purchased the party's Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms for the gubernatorial primary, underwent screening and clearance, and participated in the governorship primary held on May 26, 2026, emerging as the winner. The PDP subsequently submitted his personal particulars through Form EC9 to INEC on August 8, 2026, pursuant to Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, and the commission published his name on August 29, 2026, pursuant to Section 29(3) of the Act. Up to that point, no step was taken by the commission to question any aspect of his emergence.

The May 26 primary was thereafter challenged in two separate suits before the Federal High Court in Gombe: Usman Aliyu (Garry) v. PDP & 2 Ors and Khamisu Ahmed & Anor v. PDP & 2 Ors. The suits questioned Pantami's PDP membership and eligibility, contending that because his name was not in the PDP register submitted to the commission, he was ineligible to contest the primary. In judgments delivered on September 24, 2026, the court affirmed Pantami's PDP membership and eligibility, holding that membership is a domestic affair of the political party. The court found that the plaintiffs had not established that Pantami was legally incapable of being recognised by the PDP as its member, and that the absence of his name from a particular membership register was not conclusive proof that he was not a party member. While the court nullified the May 26 primary based on procedural issues regarding its conduct, it ordered the PDP to hold a fresh gubernatorial primary within 30 days, allowing all previously cleared aspirants including Pantami to participate. The court's consequential orders restrained the PDP and the commission only from recognising, accepting, publishing or giving effect to a nomination arising from the nullified May 26 primary.

In compliance with the court's directive, the PDP held a fresh primary election on September 29, 2026, which was monitored and observed by INEC officials. Pantami again emerged as the winner, and his name was resubmitted to the commission. Citing Supreme Court and Court of Appeal precedents including Dingyadi v. INEC and Raymond v. INEC, the legal team emphasised that INEC lacks the power to disqualify candidates or omit nominated names, as the judiciary alone can remove a candidate's name from the electoral process. "The Commission's role in primaries is to attend, observe, monitor and report, not to disqualify, and not to cherry-pick," the letter stated. The lawyers argued that only a court can order the removal of a nominated candidate's name, adding that INEC's role in party primaries is to observe, monitor and report, not to disqualify candidates.

INEC had on Saturday, October 10, 2026, published its final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027, governorship elections, excluding the PDP from the lists for both Ogun and Gombe states. The lists, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony, featured 16 candidates in Gombe and 13 in Ogun, with no PDP candidate listed in either state. Those omitted include Ladi Adebutu in Ogun and Isa Ali Pantami in Gombe. The exclusions follow a Supreme Court judgment that restored provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 restricting participation in party primaries to members whose names appear on membership registers submitted to INEC within the statutory period. The Gombe final list features candidates from 16 political parties, including Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna of the All Progressives Congress, Bala Bello Tinka of the African Democratic Congress, Babayo Ardo Kumo of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, Zubairu Mu'azu Halilu of the Labour Party, Lamela L. Silas of the Allied Peoples Movement, Ibrahim Jalo Abubakar of the Peoples Redemption Party and Adamu Mohammed Ma'aji of the Social Democratic Party, among others.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, said in a statement that the party had begun engaging INEC to resolve the omission of its candidates from the final list for the 2027 elections, treating the development with the seriousness it deserved and seeking an amicable resolution in line with the law and established electoral guidelines. "The party wishes to assure all affected candidates, members and supporters that it is already engaging with INEC to address the issues responsible for the omissions, with a view to securing an amicable resolution in accordance with the law and established electoral guidelines," he said. The party urged all affected candidates, members and supporters to remain calm, exercise patience and refrain from actions or statements capable of undermining the ongoing engagements with the commission.

The PDP leadership and the Pantamiyya Movement in Gombe State also issued a press statement addressing the omission, attributing the setback to internal and external political opponents seeking to frustrate their political objectives. The statement, signed by one of the party leaders, Suleiman Mohammed, urged supporters to remain calm, resolute and focused on ongoing mobilisation efforts. He said legal and liaison teams were actively engaging with party organs and INEC to rectify the omission within the legally permitted timeframe, expressing confidence that the issue was a temporary hurdle that would be resolved successfully.

The political context of the dispute is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections for February 6. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is seeking a second term on the All Progressives Congress platform, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, former Anambra Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement are among the major challengers. Gombe State, as a key battleground in the North-East, will be closely watched. The coming days will determine whether INEC heeds the ultimatum and restores Pantami's name to the final list or whether the matter proceeds to litigation, with significant implications for the competitiveness of the governorship race in Gombe State and the credibility of the commission's candidate management processes.

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