2027: INEC Drops Some Candidates, Approves Others After Fresh Review

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revised its lists of candidates for the 2027 governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, removing some previously published names while approving the inclusion of others following a review of complaints from political parties.

The commission said the decisions followed an examination of petitions concerning candidates who were omitted from the published lists, aspirants whose names were allegedly absent from their parties’ membership registers and cases involving multiple nominations.

INEC had released its final lists of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates on October 10, 2026. However, the publication attracted complaints from political parties over the exclusion of some aspirants and the inclusion of others whose nominations were disputed.

Among those whose omission generated controversy were former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State; Ladi Adebutu, the PDP candidate in Ogun State; and Abdulsalam Gwarzo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State.

In explaining its decisions, INEC referred to the September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgment, which upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act 2026. The provisions make the submission of membership registers a requirement for political parties.

The commission also cited Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires relevant authorities to comply with decisions of superior courts.

In a statement issued by the Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, the commission said it had considered the complaints submitted after the publication of the candidates’ lists.

According to INEC, some petitions were upheld, leading to the inclusion of affected candidates and political parties, while others were dismissed because they lacked sufficient merit.

The commission also removed candidates whose nominations failed to meet the applicable legal requirements after verification established that their names were missing from the membership registers submitted by their political parties.

It explained that decisions concerning State Houses of Assembly candidates were reached based on the specific complaints received, relevant legal provisions and the commission’s established criteria.

Giving a breakdown of the petitions, INEC disclosed that it received 69 complaints from 12 political parties across 26 states concerning the governorship elections.

Of the petitions, 41 were successful, while 28 were rejected following the commission’s review.

For the State Houses of Assembly elections, INEC received 61 petitions from 11 political parties across 11 states. The commission approved 25 of the complaints and rejected the remaining 36.

INEC said it would publish an updated list containing the affected candidates, political parties and states on its official website.

The commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and the credibility of the electoral process as preparations continue for the 2027 general elections.