National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Seriake Dickson, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to promptly restore the names of the party’s candidates omitted from the final list for the 2027 general elections.
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Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State and senator representing Bayelsa West, made the call in a Facebook post on Thursday night, assuring affected candidates and supporters that the party was taking steps to address the omissions.
“We urge INEC to remedy this apparent omission promptly,” he said.
The NDC’s governorship candidates in Kano, Kaduna and Cross River states were among those omitted from the final list recently published by INEC. The party has maintained that its affected candidates satisfied the relevant requirements and has described the omissions as errors requiring correction.
“Our candidates and supporters are assured that the party has been working diligently and has taken adequate steps to address the cases of those whose names were not published by INEC a few days ago,” Dickson said.
He maintained that all the affected candidates registered with the party before the statutory period required by law.
“All affected candidates registered with the party before the statutory 21-day period required by law,” he said.
Dickson further stated that the NDC fielded candidates ranging from the presidential level to state Houses of Assembly after what he described as a rigorous screening process.
“We are confident that INEC will correct this omission without delay,” he said.
According to him, the party would continue its consultations and campaigns across the states while maintaining engagements with INEC over the omitted candidates.
“We will continue to fight without giving up until we are victorious,” he added.
The controversy has taken a more specific turn in Kano State, where the NDC has petitioned INEC over alleged conflicting reports relating to its governorship primary.
In a petition dated October 16, 2026, submitted through its lawyers, Tahir Chambers, the party accused Hauwa Buhari Buhari, Head of the Department of Election and Party Monitoring at INEC’s Kano office, of issuing and signing different versions of reports concerning the NDC governorship primary.
The NDC alleged that the reports contained materially inconsistent information, including the names of individuals who, according to the party, were neither its candidates nor participants in the primary election.
It also alleged that persons it described as its duly nominated candidates were omitted from the reports and complained that the documents did not state the date on which the Kano governorship primary was conducted.
The party further claimed that the disputed reports were being circulated and relied upon in court proceedings involving the NDC. The allegations against the INEC official have not been independently established, and the official had not publicly responded to them at the time of the reports.
The Kano dispute centres on the omission of NDC governorship candidate Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, from INEC’s final list.
Supporters of the Kwankwasiyya Movement on Friday protested at INEC’s Kano office and submitted a formal complaint seeking the restoration of the candidates’ names.
The protesters maintained that the NDC had complied with the commission’s requirements for candidate nomination and asked INEC to investigate the circumstances surrounding the omission.
Gwarzo has also written to INEC, arguing that he and his running mate complied with the applicable nomination requirements and warning that prolonged uncertainty over their status could undermine confidence in the electoral process.
Kano Resident Electoral Commissioner Abdu Zango confirmed receipt of the complaint and said INEC had provided a window for affected political parties to challenge omissions from the final list.
“Basically, what they came to do is to present a complaint about the omission of their candidates. INEC has made the point very clear, the reason for the omission and the fact that there is a window of appeal up to the 24th of October,” Zango said.
He said the petition would be forwarded to INEC’s national headquarters for consideration, adding that the commission remained neutral.
INEC had earlier issued a general explanation for omissions from the governorship lists, saying it applied the Supreme Court’s September 24 judgment affirming that compliance with Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act 2026, including the submission of party membership registers, was mandatory for political parties seeking to sponsor candidates.
The commission also gave political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly omitted until October 24 to formally notify it.
The NDC, however, continues to maintain that its affected candidates complied with the applicable requirements and has asked the electoral body to correct what it describes as wrongful omissions.
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