Three opposition governorship candidates remain uncertain about their participation in the February 6, 2027 elections after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deadline for complaints over omitted candidates expired on Saturday, October 24.
The affected candidates are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates in Gombe and Ogun states, Prof. Isa Pantami and Oladipupo Adebutu, respectively, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo.
Naija News reports that although the PDP and NDC have formally protested the exclusion of their candidates from INEC’s final list, the commission has yet to indicate whether it will amend the list.
According to findings reported by Punch, neither negotiations with INEC nor the parties’ legal efforts had produced a breakthrough as of Saturday.
The electoral commission attributed the omissions to the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026 judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, which affirmed Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC within the stipulated period and use the registers for their primaries, congresses and conventions.
After publishing the final list of candidates on October 10, INEC, relying on Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, gave political parties until October 24 to report candidates who had been wrongly omitted.
However, the affected parties insist they complied with the relevant legal requirements and are demanding the reinstatement of their candidates.
PDP Files Affidavit at Federal High Court
The PDP maintains that it fulfilled all the conditions required to nominate its governorship candidates in Gombe and Ogun states.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mohammed Jungudo, told Sunday Punch that the party leadership and the candidates’ lawyers had engaged INEC over the matter.
He reportedly warned that the party would approach the court if the issue was not resolved within the 14-day period.
On October 15, the PDP, through its National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, deposed to an affidavit at the Federal High Court Registry in Abuja.
The affidavit challenged the exclusion of Pantami and Adebutu and called on INEC to reinstate both candidates.
The party maintains that its nomination process complied with the law and that the commission should correct what it considers an erroneous omission.
Adebutu’s Camp Reacts to Ogun Exclusion
The Director of Media for the Ladi Adebutu Campaign Organisation, Afolabi Orekoya, said the campaign had taken all the necessary steps to address the exclusion.
He expressed confidence that INEC would include Adebutu in the revised list of candidates.
“We have approached INEC, and we have done all the necessary things required of us. We are very confident that by October 24, the name of Hon. Ladi Adebutu will be published by INEC in the revised list of candidates,” Orekoya said.
According to him, Adebutu remains optimistic about the governorship race and has continued mobilising party members.
The Ogun PDP Chairman, Abayomi Tella, also described the omission as an error by INEC.
He said the party submitted its complaint within the legally prescribed period and remained confident that the commission would restore Adebutu’s name.
“The party views the omission as an error by INEC; we are very confident and optimistic that INEC will restore the name because every requirement of the law has been fulfilled,” Tella said.
Pantami Vows to Challenge Exclusion in Gombe
In Gombe State, an aide to Pantami said the former minister was determined to challenge his removal from the final list.
According to the aide, Pantami’s lawyers had written to INEC to contest the decision.
“Malam has chosen to fight this illegality. We have appealed this illegality. You saw the letter written by Senior Advocates of Nigeria and their 72-hour order. We have chosen to appeal this case, and until we get a solution, we will not back out,” the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
Pantami emerged as the PDP governorship candidate following a court-ordered rerun of the party’s primary election on September 29.
His name appeared on INEC’s provisional list released on August 29 but was absent from the final list published on October 10.
The exclusion has prompted the former minister and his legal team to intensify efforts to challenge the commission’s decision.
NDC Awaits INEC’s Response Over Kano Candidate
The NDC has also protested the exclusion of its Kano State governorship candidate, Aminu Gwarzo, and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said the NDC had written to INEC and received acknowledgements of its correspondence.
However, he said the party was still awaiting a substantive response from the electoral commission.
Director added that the party would consider legal options if INEC failed to address its complaint.
Uncertainty Persists Ahead of 2027 Governorship Elections
With the October 24 deadline now expired, the three candidates face continued uncertainty over their participation in the February 6, 2027 governorship elections.
The PDP and NDC maintain that they satisfied the relevant nomination requirements and are seeking INEC’s intervention to restore their candidates.
However, as of the reported deadline, INEC had not publicly indicated whether it would revise the final list to accommodate the affected candidates.
The outcome of the dispute could determine whether Pantami, Adebutu and Gwarzo will be eligible to contest the governorship elections in their respective states.