By Emmanuella Opara | October 17th 2026
KEY POINTS
- INEC has set October 24 as the deadline for political parties to report alleged wrongful omissions from the final list of 2027 governorship candidates.
- PDP candidates Oladipupo Adebutu of Ogun and Isa Ali Pantami of Gombe were among those omitted.
- The commission said it excluded candidates after applying a Supreme Court judgment on political party membership registers.
- The judgment upheld provisions requiring parties to submit their membership registers within the stipulated period.
MAIN STORY
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given political parties until October 24 to notify it of alleged errors involving candidates omitted from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections.
The commission said the deadline complies with Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which gives political parties 14 days from the publication of the list to report candidates they believe were wrongly excluded.
Among those omitted are the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe states, Oladipupo Adebutu and Isa Ali Pantami, respectively.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo, was also missing from the list. In Jigawa State, the African Democratic Congress protested the omission of its endorsed deputy governorship candidate, Aminu Ringim, and several other candidates.
The omissions have prompted protests and calls for clarification from affected parties, some of which have threatened legal action.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, explained that the commission’s decision followed the Supreme Court’s September 24 judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, appeal number SC/CV/495/2026.
The court upheld Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which require political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC within the prescribed period and use those registers for their primaries, congresses and conventions.
“The general public is aware of the recent decision of the Supreme Court in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026 delivered on 24th September, 2026,” the commission said.
INEC said the Supreme Court also upheld its election timetable requiring political parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
The commission added that the court ruled that parties which failed to meet the requirements were ineligible to sponsor candidates for the elections.
“Furthermore, the court held that failure to comply with the provisions of Section 77(5)-(7) renders the defaulting political parties ineligible to sponsor any candidate for the election,” it stated.
According to INEC, it applied the judgment when preparing the final governorship candidates’ list, excluding parties that had not complied with the membership-register requirements.
The commission said its action was consistent with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires authorities to enforce court decisions.
INEC noted, however, that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had been published on September 12, before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on September 24.
It reiterated that parties seeking corrections to the governorship candidates’ list must notify the commission by October 24.
“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 statement added.
The clarification comes ahead of the February 6, 2027 governorship elections, as affected parties seek explanations for the omissions.
INEC said it remained committed to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process.
THE ISSUES
The omissions have raised concerns among affected parties about their participation in the 2027 governorship elections. INEC’s explanation centres on compliance with statutory requirements for submitting party membership registers and the commission’s obligation to implement court judgments.
The October 24 deadline gives parties that believe their candidates were wrongly excluded an opportunity to formally notify INEC of the alleged errors.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“The general public is aware of the recent decision of the Supreme Court in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026 delivered on 24th September, 2026,” INEC said in a statement issued by Mohammed Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.
“Furthermore, the court held that failure to comply with the provisions of Section 77(5)-(7) renders the defaulting political parties ineligible to sponsor any candidate for the election,” the commission stated.
“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 statement added.
WHAT’S NEXT
Affected political parties have until October 24 to notify INEC of alleged wrongful omissions. The commission’s response to any submissions could determine whether the disputed entries are corrected ahead of the February 6, 2027 governorship elections.
BOTTOM LINE
INEC says the omissions stem from its application of the Electoral Act and a Supreme Court judgment on party membership registers, while giving affected parties until October 24 to challenge the exclusions.
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