The 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 on Tuesday 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 general public is aware of the recent decision of the Supreme Court in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026 delivered on 24th September, 2026,” the Commission said.
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.
