Gombe PDP Crisis Deepens as Mailantarki Rejects Pantami’s Fresh Primary Victory
The crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State has deepened after governorship aspirant Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki rejected the outcome of the party’s fresh primary election and maintained that he emerged victorious.
The latest development has opened another chapter in the prolonged dispute over the PDP governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 election, barely days after the Federal High Court ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary.
The rerun, held across the 11 local government areas of Gombe State on Tuesday, produced former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, as the party’s declared winner.
Pantami polled 2,054 votes, while Mailantarki secured 389 votes and Usman Aliyu Garry scored 112 votes, according to the results announced by the chairman of the PDP Governorship Primary Rerun Committee, Johnbull Shekarau.
However, Mailantarki has disputed the process and declared himself the winner, signalling that the legal battle surrounding the PDP ticket may not be over.
The development is significant because Mailantarki and Garry were among the aspirants who challenged the earlier process that produced Pantami through a voice affirmation in May.
Fresh Primary, Fresh Legal Battle
The Federal High Court in Gombe had on September 24, 2026, nullified the earlier PDP governorship primary and directed the party to conduct a fresh exercise within 30 days.
The court found that the earlier process failed to comply with the party’s internal regulations and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act. However, it declined requests to disqualify Pantami from the PDP or remove him as a party member.
Following the judgment, the PDP cleared Pantami, Mailantarki and Garry to participate in the rerun.
The party consequently proceeded with the September 29 primary, apparently seeking to resolve the dispute through a fresh contest.
But Mailantarki’s rejection of the result means the primary could become the subject of another round of litigation.
Pantami Secures Second PDP Victory
For Pantami, the latest result represents a second victory in the PDP nomination contest, although the circumstances are markedly different from the May exercise.
His first emergence came through voice affirmation, a process that was subsequently challenged in court.
The fresh exercise was conducted after the court nullified the earlier primary and directed the PDP to repeat the contest.
This time, the party conducted a direct primary across the state’s 11 local government areas, with Pantami securing 2,054 votes against Mailantarki’s 389 and Garry’s 112.
The result gives Pantami a new nomination mandate from the fresh exercise, but Mailantarki’s reported rejection introduces a new legal and political uncertainty over the ticket.
Why the Dispute Matters
The Gombe PDP crisis has now moved beyond a simple contest between three aspirants.
It has become a broader dispute involving party procedures, judicial intervention, membership questions and the legal validity of the process through which the party chooses its candidate.
The Federal High Court had earlier rejected arguments seeking Pantami’s outright disqualification from the party, meaning that the court’s fresh-primary order did not prevent him from participating in the rerun.
With Mailantarki now challenging the outcome, attention is likely to shift to the specific grounds of his proposed legal action and whether the new primary complied with the court’s directives and applicable electoral requirements.
PDP Faces Another Test
The latest development places the Gombe PDP leadership under renewed pressure to demonstrate that the fresh primary was conducted transparently and in accordance with the party’s rules and the law.
The party had already been forced to repeat the primary after the first exercise was nullified by the court.
Another legal challenge could therefore prolong uncertainty over the identity of the PDP’s candidate for the 2027 Gombe governorship election.
For Pantami, the immediate task will be to consolidate his fresh victory and defend the nomination if another case is filed.
For Mailantarki, the next stage appears set to be legal, following his rejection of the announced result.
The unfolding dispute means the Gombe PDP governorship ticket remains a major political and legal issue ahead of the 2027 election.
