# Nigerian court rulings on political primary elections

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/nigerian-court-rulings-on-political-primary-elections
> Updated: 2026-10-12T19:33:56.000Z. Sources: 32. Developments: 6.

Federal High Courts in Nigeria have issued rulings nullifying political party primary elections in different states due to procedural irregularities. In Zamfara, the court nullified the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary for the Zamfara North district, ruling that the party failed to follow its own constitution and Independent National Electoral Commission guidelines. 

In Gombe, Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed of the Federal High Court nullified the emergence of Professor Isa Ali Pantami as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 election. The ruling followed a lawsuit by PDP aspirants Usman Aliyu Garry and Khamisu Mailantarki, who argued the party failed to conduct a valid primary. Following the court's order, the PDP conducted a rerun primary on September 29, 2026, which Pantami won. The rerun intensified internal friction, leading the PDP to suspend Mailantarki and Garry for alleged ‘anti-party activities.’

Following the rerun, lawyers representing the PDP and Pantami issued a three-day ultimatum to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Ahmed Raji, the legal team demanded that INEC publish Pantami’s name on the final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election, characterizing his omission from the October 10, 2026, list as ‘unlawful and unexplained.’ The lawyers asserted that Pantami is a duly registered member who successfully completed the nomination process and that his particulars were submitted to INEC on August 8, 2026, in accordance with the Electoral Act 2026.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-12: PDP lawyers demand INEC publish Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami’s name

PDP lawyers have given INEC a three-day ultimatum to include Gombe State governorship candidate Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami on the final 2027 election candidate list.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/pdp-lawyers-demand-inec-publish-isa-ali-ibrahim-pantamis-name

### 2026-10-01: Isa Ali Pantami wins Gombe PDP governorship primary

Professor Isa Ali Pantami has emerged as the PDP governorship candidate for Gombe State in the 2027 elections following a court-ordered fresh primary.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/isa-ali-pantami-wins-gombe-pdp-governorship-primary

### 2026-09-29: Isa Ali Pantami wins Gombe PDP governorship rerun primary

Isa Ali Pantami has won the PDP's rerun governorship primary for Gombe State's 2027 election, defeating two challengers after a court nullified his initial emergence.

10 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/isa-pantami-wins-pdp-rerun-governorship-primary-in-gombe

### 2026-09-26: Gombe PDP to hold fresh governorship primary following court ruling

The PDP in Gombe State will hold a fresh governorship primary on September 29, 2026, after a court nullified the previous election that selected Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami as the 2027 candidate.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/gombe-pdp-to-hold-fresh-governorship-primary-following-court-ruling

### 2026-09-24: Gombe PDP governorship ticket nullified by Federal High Court

A Federal High Court has nullified Isa Ali Pantami’s emergence as the PDP governorship candidate for Gombe State, ordering the party to conduct a fresh primary election by September 29, 2026.

10 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/gombe-court-nullifies-isa-pantamis-pdp-governorship-ticket

### 2026-08-31: Federal High Court nullifies Zamfara North APC senatorial primary

A Federal High Court has nullified the APC senatorial primary for Zamfara North, ordering a fresh election within 14 days due to constitutional and INEC guideline violations.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/federal-high-court-nullifies-zamfara-north-apc-senatorial-primary

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Cite as: Nigerian court rulings on political primary elections. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/nigerian-court-rulings-on-political-primary-elections