2027: Pantami gives INEC ultimatum to publish his name

By Tolulope Oke

Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) until Wednesday, October 14, 2026, to publish his name as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Gombe State.

Pantami, alongside the PDP, accused the electoral commission of unlawfully omitting his name from the final list of candidates published on October 10, despite previously publishing his particulars and monitoring the court-ordered primary that produced him.

The demand was contained in a letter dated October 12, 2026, addressed to the INEC Chairman by the law firm Ahmed Raji & Co., acting on behalf of Pantami and the PDP.

The legal team comprised Ahmed Raji, SAN; A.T. Kehinde, SAN; Abdul Mohammed, SAN; Wale Balogun, SAN; and Chief Tunde Falola.

The lawyers questioned why INEC excluded Pantami without explanation, insisting that two Federal High Court judgments had already rejected challenges to his PDP membership.

According to the letter, Pantami registered as a PDP member at Pantami Ward in Gombe State, while an updated membership register containing his name was submitted to INEC.

He subsequently purchased the party’s governorship nomination forms, underwent screening and emerged victorious in the May 26, 2026, primary.

The PDP submitted his personal particulars through Form EC9 on August 8, in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

INEC subsequently published his name on August 29 under Section 29(3) of the Act.

The lawyers maintained that the commission raised no objection to his nomination at the time.

However, the May 26 primary was challenged in two separate suits before the Federal High Court, Gombe.

The cases, FHC/GM/CS/9/2026, filed by Usman Aliyu Garry, and FHC/GM/CS/10/2026, involving Khamisu Ahmed, questioned Pantami’s eligibility and the conduct of the primary.

In its judgment on the first suit, the court rejected the challenge to Pantami’s party membership.

“I therefore find that the Plaintiff has not established that the 3rd Defendant was legally incapable of being recognised by the 1st Defendant as its member,” the court held.

Similarly, in the second suit, the court ruled that the absence of Pantami’s name from an earlier membership register did not conclusively establish that he was not a PDP member.

The court noted that the party recognised Pantami and had produced a membership card and register containing his name.

Although the September 24 judgments nullified the May 26 primary over issues concerning its conduct, they directed the PDP to organise a fresh exercise within 30 days, allowing all aspirants with valid screening clearance to participate.

The lawyers stressed that the orders prohibited recognition of nominations arising from the May 26 exercise, not subsequent primaries.

Consequently, the PDP conducted a fresh primary on September 29, which Pantami won with 2,054 votes, defeating Khamisu Mailantarki, who polled 389, and Garry, who secured 112 votes.

The legal team said INEC officials monitored the exercise and that their report remained in the commission’s custody.

Citing judicial authorities, including Dingyadi v. INEC and Raymond v. INEC, the lawyers argued that only a court could remove a duly nominated candidate.

“The Commission’s role in primaries is to attend, observe, monitor and report, not to disqualify, and not to cherry-pick,” they stated.

They demanded that INEC publish Pantami’s name with the same prominence as other candidates by October 14 and provide written confirmation of corrective action.

The letter’s heading describes the demand as a three-day ultimatum, although its operative paragraph specifies Wednesday, October 14, as the deadline.