Independent National Electoral Commission has given political parties whose candidates were omitted from its final list for the 2027 Governorship elections until October 24 to notify it of the alleged errors.
The Commission said the deadline was in line with Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which provides a 14-day window for political parties to notify it if they believe their candidates were wrongly excluded from the list.
INEC made this known in a statement issued yesterday evening by its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, amid controversy over the omission of several prominent politicians from the final list of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates.
Among those missing from the list are the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe states, Oladipupo Adebutu and Isa Ali Pantami, respectively.
Also omitted was the Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo, while the African Democratic Congress in Jigawa State protested the omission of its endorsed deputy governorship candidate, Aminu Ringim, and several other candidates.
The omissions have triggered protests and calls for clarification from affected political parties and candidates, with some threatening to pursue legal action to secure their inclusion.
The controversy followed the Supreme Court’s September 24 judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, appeal number SC/CV/495/2026, which upheld the constitutionality of provisions of the Electoral Act governing political party membership registers and candidate nominations.
In the statement titled, “Clarification on the Omission of Some Candidates from the Final List for the 2027 Governorship Election,” INEC said the apex court had upheld Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC within the stipulated period and use the registers for their primaries, congresses and conventions.
The electoral body added that the judgment arose from its appeal against a Court of Appeal decision that had nullified the disputed provisions of the Electoral Act.
According to INEC, the court also upheld Item No. 2 of its timetable and schedule of activities, which required political parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
The Commission said the Supreme Court further held that political parties that failed to comply with the requirements were ineligible to sponsor candidates for the election.
INEC explained that it applied the judgment while finalising the governorship candidates’ list, excluding parties that failed to comply with the membership-register requirements.
INEC said its action was in accordance with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires authorities to enforce decisions of the courts.
The Commission, however, noted 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, adding that the deadline for parties seeking corrections to the governorship candidates’ list was October 24.
The Commission’s clarification comes amid growing concerns over the implications of the Supreme Court judgment for political parties and their candidates ahead of the February 6, 2027 governorship elections.
INEC assured Nigerians of its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process.
