Mailantarki Heads to Court, Challenges Pantami’s Participation in PDP Gombe Primary

By  Auwal Ahmad Umar

Honourable Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki has announced plans to return to court to challenge Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami’s participation in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary held in Gombe State on Tuesday.

Mailantarki, who addressed journalists after the exercise, also claimed that he should be declared the winner of the primary on the grounds that Pantami was allegedly not qualified to participate in the contest.

The primary was conducted pursuant to an earlier judgment of the Federal High Court, which ordered the PDP to organise a fresh governorship primary after nullifying an earlier process that produced Pantami as the party’s candidate.

At Tuesday’s rerun, Mailantarki was declared the first runner-up, while Pantami participated in the election and emerged as the candidate of the party.

But Mailantarki disputed the validity of Pantami’s participation, arguing that the Electoral Act required the names of eligible aspirants to have been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within the prescribed period before the primary.

He said he had earlier notified both the PDP and INEC through his lawyers of his position, citing the recent Supreme Court decision on the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.

“Despite our warnings, the PDP went ahead and fielded Isa Ali, who by his own showing was not a member of the party at the time 21 days before the primaries,” Mailantarki said.

According to him, only aspirants who met the statutory requirements as at the relevant date should have been allowed to contest.

He argued that, with Pantami excluded from the contest, the primary should effectively be considered a contest between himself and Aliyu Gari, whom he said were the persons qualified to participate at the material time.

“It is on that note I believe that because the primaries will be between those who are qualified to contest, this primary effectively was between myself and Gari, and having secured the higher votes over and above Gari, I ought to be declared winner,” he said.

Mailantarki said he would consult his lawyers and other legal advisers before deciding on the next steps, including challenging the outcome in court.

The latest development could further deepen the legal battle surrounding the PDP’s 2027 governorship ticket in Gombe State, following the earlier court-ordered rerun and competing claims over who was legally qualified to participate.

Mailantarki thanked journalists and other participants for attending the briefing, saying he hoped the matter would ultimately be resolved through the appropriate legal channels.