The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has yet to announce when it will publish a corrected list of candidates for the 2027 elections, leaving several politicians whose names were omitted uncertain about their electoral status.

The uncertainty follows the controversy surrounding the commission’s final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections, which excluded several opposition figures, including the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidates in Ogun and Gombe states, Oladipupo Adebutu and Isa Ali Pantami.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, was also among those reportedly affected by the omissions.

INEC had earlier given political parties until October 24, 2026, to notify the commission if they believed their candidates had been wrongly excluded from the published list.

The deadline was based on Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which provides a 14-day window for political parties to report alleged errors in the candidates’ list.

The expiration of the deadline has not, by itself, resolved the status of the affected candidates, as the commission has yet to announce a date for publishing a revised list.

The commission had explained that the exclusions followed a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, in the case involving INEC and the Zenith Labour Party.

According to INEC, the apex court upheld the constitutionality of Sections 77(5) to 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which require political parties to submit their membership registers within the stipulated period.

The court also upheld the commission’s timetable requiring parties to submit their registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.

INEC said parties that failed to comply with the requirements were ineligible to sponsor candidates for the elections, adding that it applied the judgment when finalising the governorship candidates’ list.

The commission also noted that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had been published on September 12, before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.


The omissions have prompted protests from affected political parties, with the PDP challenging the exclusion of its candidates in Ogun and Gombe states.

The party has maintained that Adebutu and Pantami should be included on the list and has pursued legal steps to challenge their exclusion.

Pantami emerged as the PDP’s governorship candidate in Gombe after a court-ordered rerun of the party’s primary election on September 29. His name appeared on INEC’s provisional list published in August but was missing from the final list released in October.

In Kano, the NDC said it had submitted complaints to INEC over the exclusion of Gwarzo and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso. The party said the commission acknowledged receipt of its letters but had yet to provide a final response.

As of October 25, INEC had not announced a date for the publication of a corrected candidates’ list, leaving the affected politicians awaiting the commission’s decision on their complaints.