The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has completed an extensive review of complaints arising from the publication of candidate lists for the 2027 general elections, upholding 41 petitions submitted by aggrieved governorship aspirants and rejecting 28 others.
The statutory review, confirmed by the electoral umpire in Abuja, stemmed from 130 total petitions filed across the federation challenging the omission and substitution of candidates. Out of 69 petitions reviewed for governorship tickets, 41 succeeded while 28 failed; similarly, 25 of 61 petitions concerning State Houses of Assembly were upheld, while 36 were dismissed.
The commission’s determinations were guided by Section 77 of the Electoral Act and the precedent set by the September 24, 2026 Supreme Court ruling in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, which affirmed that political parties must upload digital membership registers at least 21 days before conducting primary polls. Acting under Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution to enforce superior court rulings, the commission strictly invalidated nominations from chapters that failed to transmit compliant registers within the statutory window, while expunging names wrongfully inserted into preliminary rolls without verified party membership.
The exercise reshuffled major state contests, headlined by the clearance of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Gombe State governorship election. While cleared, Pantami’s status remains subject to parallel pre-election proceedings currently before the courts. In Kano State, the commission granted clearance to the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, and his running mate, Rabiu Mustapha, formally confirming their place on the ballot.
Conversely, the commission dismissed the petition of prominent Ogun State politician Ladi Adebutu, affirming his exclusion from the PDP gubernatorial ticket in the state. Electoral officials confirmed that Adebutu’s name was omitted from the original nomination list submitted by his party’s national headquarters, a position compounded by a subsisting Federal High Court order restraining the publication of his candidacy. The decision leaves the main opposition party without an eligible governorship candidate in Ogun State ahead of the 2027 polls.
