Questions continue to trail the exclusion of some candidates from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) attributing the omissions to political parties’ failure to submit their membership registers within the stipulated period.
The development has triggered reactions from affected parties and aspirants, particularly following the exclusion of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidates in Gombe and Ogun states, Isa Pantami and Ladi Adebutu, respectively.
Pantami’s name was missing despite his victory in a court-ordered rerun of the PDP governorship primary in Gombe State. Adebutu and his running mate were also excluded from the list.
The Ogun State PDP subsequently accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of exerting pressure on INEC, while human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong called on the commission to demonstrate its impartiality.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, however, INEC said the exclusions followed the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026, judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, which upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The statement, signed by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, explained that the provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers within the prescribed timeframe.
The Supreme Court also upheld INEC’s timetable requiring parties to submit the registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
According to the commission, the court ruled that parties that failed to meet the requirement were ineligible to sponsor candidates in the elections.
INEC said it applied the judgment in finalising the list of governorship candidates in compliance with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires authorities to give effect to court decisions.
The commission further clarified that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had been published on September 12, 2026, 13 days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.
INEC added that Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, allows political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly omitted to notify the commission within 14 days of the publication of the relevant list.
It consequently fixed October 24, 2026, as the deadline for such notifications.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, adherence to the rule of law and the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.
