Pantami’s Omission: Five Senior Lawyers Give INEC October 14 Deadline to Publish PDP Candidate’s Name
Five senior legal practitioners, led by Ahmed Raji, SAN, have formally demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) publish the name of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Gombe State in the 2027 general elections.
The lawyers, acting on behalf of Pantami and the PDP, described his omission from the final list of governorship candidates published by INEC on October 10, 2026, as unlawful and unexplained, insisting that the electoral commission had no authority to exclude a duly nominated candidate without a valid court order.
In a letter dated October 12, 2026, addressed to the INEC Chairman in Abuja, the legal team demanded that Pantami’s name be published and circulated on or before Wednesday, October 14, 2026.
The correspondence, issued by Ahmed Raji & Co., was signed by Ahmed Raji, SAN; A.T. Kehinde, SAN; Abdul Mohammed, SAN; Wale Balogun, SAN; and Chief Tunde Falola, Esq.
The development follows an earlier PRNigeria report on the controversy surrounding Pantami’s absence from the final governorship candidates’ list, despite his emergence from a fresh PDP primary conducted on September 29, 2026, in compliance with a Federal High Court judgment.
PRNigeria had also reported that Pantami’s supporters, under the Pantamiyya Movement, expressed concern over the omission, while Professor Suleiman Mohammed Gombe assured them that legal and party representatives were engaging INEC to resolve the matter.
In their latest intervention, the five lawyers argued that the Federal High Court judgments which nullified the earlier PDP governorship primary did not disqualify Pantami or invalidate his membership of the party.
According to the correspondence, Pantami is a registered PDP member at Pantami Ward in Gombe State, and his name appears in the updated membership register submitted to INEC.
The lawyers explained that Pantami purchased the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms, underwent screening and clearance, and emerged victorious at the initial governorship primary conducted on May 26, 2026.
They disclosed that the PDP subsequently submitted his personal particulars through Form EC9 to INEC on August 8, 2026, in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.
According to them, INEC published Pantami’s name on August 29, 2026, pursuant to Section 29(3) of the Act, without raising any objection to his nomination at that stage.
The legal team acknowledged that the May 26 primary was subsequently challenged before the Federal High Court in Gombe in two separate suits: FHC/GM/CS/9/2026, filed by Usman Aliyu Garry against the PDP and others, and FHC/GM/CS/10/2026, instituted by Khamisu Ahmed and another party.
They explained that the suits challenged both the conduct of the primary and Pantami’s eligibility, particularly his membership of the PDP.
However, the lawyers maintained that the court expressly rejected the arguments seeking to establish that Pantami was not a legitimate member of the party.
Quoting page 57 of the judgment in Suit No. FHC/GM/CS/9/2026, the lawyers cited the court’s finding:
“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 further held that the question of Pantami’s membership had been resolved against the plaintiff, while the validity of his nomination depended on compliance with the party’s primary election procedures.
Similarly, in Suit No. FHC/GM/CS/10/2026, the legal team referred to pages 65 and 66 of the judgment, where the court reportedly held that the absence of Pantami’s name from one membership document did not conclusively establish that he was not a PDP member.
The judgment, as quoted in the letter, stated:
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“The Supreme Court has consistently held that membership of a political party is ordinarily a matter within the domestic affairs of the party and that it is primarily for the party to determine who its members are.”
The court also acknowledged that the PDP recognised Pantami as its member and had produced a membership card and register containing his name.
“Accordingly, the Plaintiff has not established the 2nd Defendant’s ineligibility on the grounds advanced,” the judgment stated.
The lawyers argued that these findings were significant because the court resolved the membership and eligibility questions in Pantami’s favour while nullifying the May 26 primary on separate procedural grounds.
They explained that the judgments delivered on September 24, 2026, directed the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary within 30 days, allowing the plaintiffs and other aspirants whose screening clearance remained valid to participate.
According to the legal team, the consequential orders restrained the PDP and INEC only from recognising or giving effect to a nomination arising from the invalidated May 26 exercise.
They maintained that the orders did not prohibit Pantami from participating in a fresh primary or emerging as the party’s candidate.
The lawyers further stated that the PDP duly notified INEC of the court-ordered rerun and conducted the fresh governorship primary on September 29, 2026.
They said INEC officials attended, observed and monitored the exercise, with the commission’s monitoring report already in its custody.
Pantami emerged victorious at the rerun, polling 2,054 votes against 389 secured by Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and 112 recorded by Usman Aliyu Garry.
The legal team said the PDP subsequently submitted Pantami’s name again to INEC as its nominated governorship candidate.
They consequently questioned why the electoral commission omitted his name from the final list released on October 10.
Citing several judicial authorities, including *Dingyadi & Anor v. INEC & Ors* (2011), *Raymond v. INEC & Ors* (2023), and *AC & Anor v. INEC* (2007), the lawyers argued that the removal of a nominated candidate’s name was a matter requiring judicial determination.
They maintained that INEC’s statutory responsibilities concerning party primaries were to attend, observe, monitor and report, rather than independently disqualify candidates.
“The Commission’s role in primaries is to attend, observe, monitor and report, not to disqualify, and not to cherry-pick,” the lawyers stated.
The legal team therefore demanded immediate corrective action, insisting that Pantami’s name should be published with the same prominence as those of other governorship candidates already listed by INEC.
They wrote:
“We have our Client’s firm and unequivocal instructions to demand, and we hereby demand that the Commission, on or before Wednesday the 14th day of October, 2026, publish and circulate the name of Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the office of Governor of Gombe State in the 2027 general elections.”
The lawyers also requested written confirmation of the steps taken by the commission to address the complaint.
They expressed confidence that INEC, as an independent electoral body, would uphold the rule of law and comply with the judgments of the Federal High Court.
The correspondence was accompanied, according to the lawyers, by documents including the PDP membership register, the two Federal High Court judgments and records relating to the September 29 primary.
The latest legal intervention has brought renewed attention to the dispute over Pantami’s nomination, particularly the distinction between the court’s nullification of the May 26 primary and the fresh exercise conducted pursuant to its orders.
Although the lawyers maintain that INEC has no legal basis to exclude Pantami, the commission’s reasons for omitting his name have not been established in the correspondence.
As of the date of the letter, no formal response from INEC was included in the materials made available to PRNigeria.
The October 14 deadline now places the focus on whether the electoral commission will provide clarification, amend its published list or maintain its position, potentially leaving the parties to pursue further legal remedies.
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