Court reserves judgement in suit challenging Pantami’s candidacy

The Federal High Court sitting in Gombe has reserved judgement in the suit instituted by Usman Aliyu Garry challenging the emergence of Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State.

At the resumed hearing on Friday before Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed, counsel to the PDP, Barrister S. M. Yusuf, informed the court that he had regularised his motion through an oral application.

Yusuf subsequently adopted all the processes contained in the regularised affidavit in support of the motion and urged the court to strike out the suit, arguing that it was incompetent under the provisions of Section 115 of the Evidence Act.

Counsel to Pantami, Barrister Tunde Falola, also adopted his preliminary objection and motion, which was supported by a six-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Shuaibu Usman Gwani.

Falola urged the court to dismiss the originating summons for lacking merit, maintaining that documents before the court showed that Pantami resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on May 19, 2026, before participating in the PDP governorship primary.

In his response, counsel to the plaintiff, Eko Ejembi Eko, SAN, told the court that the plaintiff had filed a counter-affidavit, responses to the preliminary objections, a further affidavit, and documentary exhibits opposing the applications brought by the defendants.

He urged the court to dismiss the preliminary objections filed by the PDP, Pantami, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that the plaintiff’s suit was competent and deserving of judicial determination.

Eko also adopted all the affidavits, further affidavits, documentary exhibits, and written addresses already filed in support of the plaintiff’s case and prayed the court to award costs against the defendants.

After hearing arguments from counsel to all the parties, Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed reserved judgment in the suit and said a date for the judgment would be communicated to the parties.

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