The Independent National Electoral Commission has said that candidates were omitted from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections because their political parties failed to submit membership registers as the law requires.
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In a statement issued in the early hours of Tuesday by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the commission said it applied the Supreme Court’s judgment of 24 September and excluded parties that had not complied.
WHAT THE COMMISSION SAID
“The Commission, while finalizing 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 commission said the judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, delivered on 24 September 2026, arose from its own appeal against a decision of the Court of Appeal which had “nullified the provisions of Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026 requiring the submission of membership registers as a prerequisite for the conduct of valid party primaries.”
The Supreme Court, it said, overturned that position and held that the provisions “are constitutional and mandatory for all political parties.”
The Court also upheld the constitutionality of Item No. 2 of the commission’s Timetable and Schedule of Activities, which required political parties to submit their membership registers between 21 April and 10 May 2026.
“Failure to comply with the provisions of Section 77(5)-(7) renders the defaulting political parties ineligible to sponsor any candidate for the election.”
Mr. Haruna said the commission acted “in accordance with Section 287(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”
He noted that the final list of presidential and National Assembly candidates “had already been published on 12th September, 2026, thirteen days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.”
“Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly left off the list have 14 days from the date of publication to notify the Commission. The deadline is 24th October, 2026.”
“The Commission assures the public of its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process.”
The clarification follows reactions from parties and candidates after the publication of the final list, which excluded prominent aspirants.
Among them are the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidates in Gombe and Ogun States, Mr. Isa Pantami and Mr. Ladi Adebutu.
Mr. Pantami’s omission came after he won a court-ordered rerun of the PDP governorship primary in Gombe.
Mr. Adebutu’s name, and that of his running mate, were also missing from the list.
The Ogun PDP has accused the All Progressives Congress of mounting pressure on the commission. The human rights lawyer Mr. Inibehe Effiong has called on the commission to demonstrate its impartiality.
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