The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given political parties until October 24 to report the alleged wrongful omission of their candidates from the final list for the 2027 Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
The commission said the deadline complies with Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which provides a 14-day window for political parties to notify it of candidates allegedly excluded from the list.
INEC disclosed this in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, amid controversy over the omission of several prominent politicians.
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 is the Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo.
In Jigawa State, the African Democratic Congress has protested the omission of its endorsed deputy governorship candidate, Aminu Ringim, alongside several other candidates.
The omissions have triggered protests and calls for clarification from affected parties and candidates, with some threatening legal action to secure their inclusion.
The controversy follows 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 party membership registers and candidate nominations.
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.
