The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to publish the final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections on Saturday, October 10, 2026, marking another major stage in preparations for the general elections. INEC had earlier confirmed the October 10 publication date following its national stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja.
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The publication will formally reveal the candidates cleared to contest governorship elections in 28 states and State House of Assembly seats across the country following the completion of the nomination, withdrawal and substitution processes by political parties.
The exercise is in line with Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which requires the Commission to publish the full names and addresses of nominated candidates at its relevant offices and on its website at least 60 days before an election.
The provision states that “the Commission shall, at least 60 days before the day of the election, publish by displaying or causing to be displayed at the relevant office or offices of the Commission and on the Commission’s website, a statement of the full names and addresses of all candidates standing nominated.”
Section 32(2) also provides a mechanism for political parties to challenge the omission of their candidates from the published list.
Under the provision, a registered political party which discovers that the name of its candidate is missing must notify INEC in writing within 14 days of the publication. Such notification must be signed by the party’s National Chairman and Secretary and supported by an affidavit.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had disclosed at a world press conference and national stakeholders’ meeting that 21 of Nigeria’s 22 registered political parties submitted candidates for the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
According to the Commission, the political parties submitted a total of 936 governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the 28 states where governorship elections will be conducted, alongside 9,692 candidates seeking seats in the various State Houses of Assembly.
Officials of the Commission have been compiling the final list ahead of Saturday’s publication, which is expected to reflect changes arising from withdrawals, substitutions and other adjustments made within the prescribed nomination period.
The governorship elections will hold in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Delta, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Niger, Nasarawa, Kwara, Benue, Plateau, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara and Sokoto states.
No governorship election will take place in Edo, Bayelsa, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Imo, Anambra and Kogi states because their off-cycle governorship elections are held separately from the general election timetable.
State House of Assembly elections, however, will take place across the 36 states. The Federal Capital Territory does not have a State House of Assembly, with its legislative representation exercised through the National Assembly.
The publication comes after the window for political parties to substitute candidates for the governorship and State House of Assembly elections closed on September 19, 2026.
The deadline for submission of the relevant nomination forms, Form EC 13A-E, also closed on September 26, 2026.
At the time of the report, it had not been independently established which of the 22 registered political parties failed to nominate candidates for the state-level elections, while the breakdown of the number of candidates submitted by each party was also not immediately available.
The October 10 publication is expected to give voters, political parties and candidates a clearer picture of the final field for the February 6 elections and conclude a key phase of INEC’s candidate nomination process ahead of the 2027 polls.
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