Abuja Federal High Court to decide on joinder request in Pantami‑PDP Gombe governorship dispute

On Wednesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja reviewed a request to include Gombe State gubernatorial candidate Usman Garry in the legal dispute initiated by ex-cabinet member Isa Pantami and the PDP against INEC. Justice Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, announced that a ruling on the joinder request and the pending briefs will be delivered on Monday, 2 November. The judge is set to rule on Garry’s written rebuttal, verbal petition, and formal motion to be added to the case during the same session.

No party objected to the joinder application during the Wednesday hearing. Counsel for Garry, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Eko Ejembe, warned that simultaneous litigation in the Court of Appeal’s Gombe Division and the local Federal High Court might amount to procedural abuse due to the duplication of matters. He urged the Abuja court to consider the implications of these concurrent matters when deciding the joinder issue.

Beyond the joinder question, Garry is challenging Pantami’s eligibility to contest the PDP governorship primary and the party’s authority to nominate him. Central to his challenge is the allegation that Pantami joined the PDP after the May 10 deadline for submitting party membership registers to INEC, thereby breaching the Electoral Act 2026’s membership requirements. Garry contends that this late registration invalidates Pantami’s participation in the primary and his subsequent emergence as the PDP candidate.

Background

The dispute stems from a series of legal battles over the PDP’s Gombe State governorship nomination. On 24 September, the Federal High Court in Gombe ruled that the primary that produced Pantami as the PDP candidate was nullified and ordered the party to conduct fresh primaries. In response, the PDP held a repeat primary on 29 September, a process that Garry contested, alleging irregularities and questioning Pantami’s participation.

Pantami and the PDP subsequently filed a suit against INEC, seeking to enforce the party’s nomination and to challenge any interference with the electoral process. Garry’s application for joinder seeks to bring him into that Abuja suit so that his challenges to Pantami’s eligibility and the primary’s conduct can be adjudicated alongside the broader case against INEC.

The legal framework governing the dispute includes the Electoral Act 2026, which sets out deadlines for party membership registration and criteria for candidate eligibility. Garry’s arguments focus on the interpretation of these provisions, particularly whether Pantami’s alleged late membership registration disqualifies him from the primary.

Why it matters

The outcome of the joinder application could shape the composition of the litigants before the Abuja court and, consequently, the direction of the case against INEC. If Garry is admitted, his challenges to Pantami’s eligibility and the PDP’s nomination process will be heard together with the party’s broader claim against the electoral commission. This could lead to a more comprehensive ruling on the validity of the PDP’s candidate and the conduct of the primaries.

The dispute directly affects the political landscape in Gombe State, where the PDP is vying for the governorship ahead of the 2027 elections. A ruling that upholds Pantami’s candidacy would solidify the party’s position, while a decision that invalidates his nomination could force the PDP to organise another primary, potentially altering the party’s electoral strategy.

Stakeholders, including the PDP, INEC, and other aspirants, are closely monitoring the case, as it may set precedents for how party membership deadlines and primary procedures are enforced under the Electoral Act 2026.

What happens next

Justice Peter Lifu is expected to issue a ruling on the motion to add the new party and review the outstanding legal submissions on 2 November. The ruling will determine whether Garry’s counter‑affidavit and related motions will be heard as part of the Abuja suit. Should the court admit the joinder, further hearings will address the substantive challenges to Pantami’s eligibility and the PDP’s nomination process. With the matter currently active in several judicial bodies, the outcome in the capital may impact the concurrent hearings taking place in the Court of Appeal, Gombe Division, and the Federal High Court in Gombe.

The parties have not indicated any immediate appeals, but the complex procedural landscape suggests that further legal steps could follow the November ruling, depending on the court’s conclusions.