The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained the omission of some candidates from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections, saying the affected political parties failed to comply with legal requirements for submitting their membership registers.
Some of the affected candidates are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates in Gombe, Isa Pantami, and in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, who were excluded from its final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections.
INEC on Saturday published its final lists of governorship candidates, naming 16 for Gombe State and 13 for Ogun State, none of them from the PDP.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the commission said the decision followed a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, which upheld the constitutionality of provisions in the Electoral Act, 2026, requiring political parties to submit their membership registers before conducting valid party primaries.
The judgment arose from an appeal filed by INEC against a Court of Appeal ruling that had nullified Sections 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, which prescribe the submission of membership registers as a prerequisite for valid party primaries.
According to INEC, the Supreme Court, in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, upheld the disputed provisions and affirmed that they are mandatory for all political parties.
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👉 JOIN GISTSMATE WHATSAPP CHANNELThe court also upheld Item 2 of INEC’s timetable for the 2027 elections, which required political parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
INEC said the Supreme Court ruled that political parties that failed to comply with the requirement would be ineligible to sponsor candidates in the elections.
The commission explained that it applied the judgment when finalising the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship elections, excluding parties that did not comply with the membership-register submission requirements.
“Accordingly, the Commission, while finalising the list of candidates for the Governorship election, applied the above decision of the Supreme Court and excluded political parties that failed to comply with Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, in relation to fielding of candidates,” the statement said.
INEC added that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had already been published on September 12, 2026, 13 days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.
The commission said Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, allows political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly omitted from the lists to notify it within 14 days of publication.
According to INEC, the deadline for submitting such notifications is October 24, 2026.
The statement was signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee.
The commission reiterated its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process.
The clarification comes as political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections, with compliance with electoral laws and INEC’s timetable remaining key requirements for participating in the polls.
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