Court in Abuja to Decide on Joining Gombe Aspirant in PDP Case

The Federal High Court in Abuja listened to a request on Wednesday to include Gombe State governorship hopeful, Usman Garry, in the case filed by Isa Pantami and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Judge Peter Lifu has set Monday, 2 November, to give a ruling on this joining request and review the pending documents.

Mr Garry's counter-affidavit, oral request, and official motion for joining are also set to be discussed and decided on that day.

No party objected to the joining request during Wednesday's session.

Through his lawyer, Eko Ejembe, SAN, Mr Garry expressed worries about related cases still active before the Court of Appeal in Gombe and the Federal High Court in Gombe. He is questioning the repeat PDP governorship primary held on 29 September.

His lawyer stated that these related cases in both courts could lead to abuse of the court process. They urged the Abuja court to think about the effects of these parallel cases when deciding on the issues at hand.

Besides the joining question, Mr Garry is also challenging Mr Pantami’s right to take part in the PDP governorship primary and whether the party can legally nominate him as its candidate.

A key point in Mr Garry’s challenge is the claim that Mr Pantami did not meet the membership registration rules.

Mr Garry argues that Mr Pantami joined the PDP days after the May 10 deadline for submitting the party membership lists to INEC. This raises questions on whether he can validly participate in the party’s governorship primary and be named as its candidate.

This challenge brings up questions about how the Electoral Act 2026 applies to party membership registers and candidate eligibility, which Mr Garry wants the court to examine.

This issue follows the 24 September ruling by the Federal High Court in Gombe. According to Mr Garry, this ruling cancelled the process that made Mr Pantami the PDP governorship candidate and instructed the party to hold new primaries.

The repeat primary took place on 29 September, which Mr Garry is contesting, and he is also questioning Mr Pantami’s involvement.

Mr Garry believes that the legal questions regarding the repeat primary, Mr Pantami’s eligibility, and the party’s nomination process need a court ruling.

These matters are still pending in the appropriate courts.

The request to join aims to ensure Mr Garry can officially participate in the Abuja case, as the court's decisions could impact the ongoing legal battle over the PDP’s Gombe State governorship nomination.

The court will continue the case on Monday, when Justice Lifu is expected to rule on the joining request and address other pending issues.