Gombe PDP Governorship Candidate: Lawyers Give INEC Three Days to Explain Omission

A team of lawyers representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Gombe State governorship candidate, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim, has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) three days to publish his name on the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election.

The lawyers, led by Ahmed Raji, SAN, made the demand in a letter dated October 12, 2026, following the omission of Ibrahim’s name from INEC’s final list of candidates published on October 10.

In the letter addressed to the INEC chairman, the legal team described the omission as unlawful and unexplained, arguing that Ibrahim had emerged as the PDP’s candidate in a fresh governorship primary conducted in compliance with a court order.

According to the lawyers, Ibrahim is a registered PDP member from Pantami Ward in Gombe State. They said he participated in the party’s initial governorship primary on May 26, 2026, and emerged as the winner before his details were submitted to INEC in August.

However, the May primary was challenged in two separate suits before the Federal High Court in Gombe. In judgments delivered on September 24, the court nullified the exercise over issues relating to its conduct and directed the PDP to conduct a fresh primary within 30 days.

The court also ordered that aspirants whose clearance from the May 14 screening exercise remained valid should be allowed to participate in the fresh exercise.

The legal team maintained that the court’s judgments did not disqualify Ibrahim on the grounds of party membership or eligibility. It cited passages from both judgments in which the court rejected the plaintiffs’ arguments that his membership of the PDP had not been established.

The lawyers further stated that the PDP complied with the court order by notifying INEC and conducting a fresh governorship primary on September 29, 2026. They said INEC officials attended and monitored the exercise, after which Ibrahim emerged as the winner and was submitted again as the party’s candidate.

Relying on previous court decisions, the lawyers argued that INEC could not independently remove a nominated candidate’s name without a judicial basis. They maintained that the commission’s role in party primaries was to observe and monitor the process rather than disqualify candidates.

The legal team consequently demanded that INEC publish Ibrahim’s name as the PDP candidate for the Gombe State governorship election by Wednesday, October 14, 2026, and confirm in writing the steps taken to address the omission.

The letter was signed by Ahmed Raji, SAN; A.T. Kehinde, SAN; Abdul Mohammed, SAN; Wale Balogun, SAN; and Chief Tunde Falola.

INEC’s response to the demand was not contained in the letter.