The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained why Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidates Isa Pantami and Ladi Adebutu were excluded from the final lists for the 2027 elections in Gombe and Ogun states.
INEC attributed the exclusion to the affected political parties’ failure to comply with legal requirements for submitting membership registers before conducting party primaries.
The commission announced the decision after publishing its final lists of governorship candidates on Saturday, with 16 candidates cleared in Gombe and 13 in Ogun. Neither state’s list included a PDP candidate.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, INEC said the decision followed a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, which upheld the constitutionality of Sections 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC before conducting valid primaries to select candidates for elections.
According to the commission, the Supreme Court ruling in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, affirmed that the requirements were mandatory for all political parties.
The court also upheld INEC’s timetable requiring parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
INEC said parties that failed to meet the deadline were ineligible to sponsor candidates in the affected elections.
The commission explained that it applied the judgment when preparing the final lists for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections, excluding parties that did not comply with the law.
It added that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had already been published on September 12, 2026, before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.
INEC further cited Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which allows political parties to notify the commission within 14 days if they believe their candidates were wrongly omitted from the published lists.
The commission fixed October 24, 2026, as the deadline for submitting such notifications.
The statement was signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee.
INEC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and credible elections, stressing that political parties must comply with electoral laws and the commission’s timetable.
The development adds to the political challenges facing parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, as compliance with statutory requirements remains crucial to fielding candidates.
