The Federal High Court in Gombe has reserved judgment in a suit filed by Usman Aliyu Garry challenging the emergence of Isa Pantami as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election.
At Friday’s resumed hearing before Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed, counsel to the PDP, S. M. Yusuf, informed the court that he had regularised his motion through an oral application.
He subsequently adopted all the processes contained in the regularised further affidavit in support of the motion. He urged the court to strike out the suit, arguing that it was incompetent under Section 115 of the Evidence Act.
Counsel to Mr Pantami, Tunde Falola, also adopted his preliminary objection and motion, supported by a six-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Shuaibu Usman Gwani.
Mr Falola urged the court to dismiss the originating summons for lack of merit, arguing that the documents before the court showed that Mr Pantami resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on 19 May 2026, before participating in the PDP governorship primary.
Responding, counsel to the plaintiff, Eko Ejembi Eko (SAN), said the plaintiff filed a counter-affidavit, responses to the preliminary objections, a further affidavit and documentary exhibits opposing the applications filed by the defendants.
He urged the court to dismiss the preliminary objections filed by the PDP, Mr Pantami and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that the suit was competent and ripe for judicial determination.
Mr Eko also adopted all the affidavits, further affidavits, documentary exhibits and written addresses filed in support of the plaintiff’s case. He asked the court to award costs against the defendants.
READ ALSO: PDP faction disowns Pantami, names Gombe governorship candidate
After hearing submissions from counsel to all the parties, Justice Mohammed reserved judgment and said a date for its delivery would be communicated to the parties.
Mr Pantami defected from the APC after losing out in that party’s governorship primary, citing irregularities and injustice.
But shortly afterwards, he joined the PDP, displacing the original PDP governorship aspirants and emerging as the party’s candidate in what many consider a higher level of irregularity and injustice.
