Precious Nwonu, Enugu
The Independent National Electoral Commission has given political parties until October 24, 2026, to report alleged errors involving the omission of their candidates from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections.
The commission said the deadline was based on Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which allows political parties 14 days from the publication of the candidates’ list to notify it of any alleged wrongful exclusion.
INEC disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
The clarification follows protests by political parties over the omission of several candidates from the final list for the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
Those affected include 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 exclusion of its endorsed deputy governorship candidate, Aminu Ringim, and several other candidates.
Some affected parties and candidates have demanded explanations and threatened legal action to secure their inclusion.
INEC attributed its decision to the Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, in the case of *INEC v. Zenith Labour Party*, which upheld the constitutionality of provisions in the Electoral Act governing party membership registers and candidate nominations.
According to the commission, the Supreme Court upheld Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026. The provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers within the stipulated period and use them for primaries, congresses and conventions.
The electoral body said the court also upheld its timetable requiring parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
INEC added that the judgment established that parties which failed to comply with the membership-register requirements were ineligible to sponsor candidates for the elections.
The commission said it applied the ruling when preparing the final governorship candidates’ list, excluding parties that failed to meet the requirements.
It maintained that the action was consistent with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires relevant authorities to enforce court decisions.
However, INEC noted that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had been published on September 12, 2026, before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.
The commission urged parties that believe their candidates were wrongly excluded from the governorship list to notify it before the October 24 deadline.
INEC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process ahead of the February 6, 2027, governorship elections.