The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given political parties whose governorship candidates were omitted from the final list for the 2027 elections 14 days to challenge the decision, setting October 24, 2026, as the deadline for complaints.
Among the affected politicians are former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, who is linked to the Gombe governorship race; Ogun State politician Ladi Adebutu; and other aspirants whose names were excluded from the published list.
INEC announced the deadline in a clarification issued on Tuesday by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.
The commission said the exclusions followed a Supreme Court judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, delivered on September 24, 2026.
According to INEC, the apex court upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act 2026, which makes the submission of political parties’ membership registers a mandatory condition for valid party primaries.
The court also upheld Item 2 of INEC’s timetable, which required parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
INEC said parties that failed to comply with the requirement were ineligible to sponsor candidates for the election. It explained that the Supreme Court’s decision was applied when the commission finalised the governorship candidates’ list after the judgment.
The commission said the development did not affect the previously published lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates, which were released on September 12, 2026, before the court delivered its judgment.
INEC cited Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which allows political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly excluded to notify the commission within 14 days of publication.
It therefore urged affected parties to submit their complaints by October 24, 2026.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process, stressing that its actions were guided by the applicable legal provisions and the Supreme Court’s ruling.
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