GOMBE 2027: PDP risks losing governorship ticket in court over Pantami’s emergence, lawyer warns
UK-based legal practitioner and political analyst, Bulama Audu Bukarti, has raised the alarm over the controversial emergence of Sheikh Isa Ali Pantami as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State.
Speaking on the popular program Fashin Baki, Bukarti warned that the swift and murky process that handed Pantami the ticket mirrors the exact “injustice” the former minister previously condemned within the All Progressives Congress (APC). He cautioned that the PDP now faces a severe legal threat that could completely collapse its governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections.
‘Double standards and injustice’
Bukarti criticized Pantami for allegedly abandoning his self-professed moral principles. He recalled the former minister’s recent statements, noting the hypocrisy in his sudden political about-face.
“In his BBC interview, he stated that even if injustice was committed to favor him, he wouldn’t accept it… So now, he ought to have insisted that due process be followed,” Bukarti said.
Instead, Pantami accepted the PDP ticket under clouds of secrecy. According to Bukarti, four cleared PDP governorship aspirants claimed they “were not even aware Malam [Pantami] had entered the race, were never invited for any discussions, and were not invited to the meeting where he was declared the candidate.”
READ ALSO: GOMBE 2027: Pantami rejects APC consensus choice, vows legal battle against ‘injustice’
“If what those four aspirants are saying is true… then they have been treated unjustly, just like Malam was in the APC,” Bukarti argued. “If injustice within the APC is wrong, then injustice within the PDP is equally wrong.”
The legal landmines ahead
The legal analyst warned that the PDP has walked into a judicial minefield by failing to follow proper internal democracy guidelines. He emphasized that the danger is absolute if the aggrieved aspirants do not officially step down.
Commenting on lack of consensus, Bukarti said if the four cleared aspirants never submitted formal, signed withdrawal letters backing Pantami, the primary is highly vulnerable to litigation.
He added that under Section 84 of the Electoral Act, failing to follow party guidelines removes the protection of it being a mere “internal party affair,” turning it into a matter of law.
Pantami allegedly received the ticket just a day or two after joining the PDP, long after the sale of nomination forms had officially closed. The primary, originally slated for Sunday, was abruptly shifted to Tuesday—the day Pantami was declared the winner.
Furthermore, Bukarti highlighted an ongoing legal battle between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and political parties regarding the submission of membership registers. While a lower court extended the deadline to September, INEC has appealed the ruling.
“If the Court of Appeal rules in favor of INEC… any party that allowed someone to come in after that… will have no candidate in the election,” Bukarti explained. “Because it would mean that someone who is not a party member was fielded.”
Contrasting Pantami’s grievances in the APC with his current situation in the PDP, Bukarti noted that in the APC, the ticket went to a long-standing member (the incumbent governor). In contrast, the PDP allegedly bypassed its own loyal aspirants to hand a brand-new member the ticket on a silver platter.
Bukarti concluded by questioning the former minister’s political morality. “How is it… that it only becomes an injustice if it doesn’t benefit you… But if an injustice is done and it benefits you, that is not an injustice, you will just look away.”
With the 2027 elections approaching, the Gombe State chapter of the PDP finds itself on shaky ground. Bukarti stressed that unless the party urgently reconciles with the four aggrieved aspirants and secures their signed withdrawal letters, a single lawsuit from any of them could disqualify the party from the gubernatorial race entirely.
“I can assure you that if they take this matter to court, the PDP risks losing its governorship candidate in Gombe State,” Bukarti warned.
