Illustrative image of a ballot box at a polling unit. INEC says parties that failed to submit membership registers cannot sponsor candidates in 2027. Photo: Stock image.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has explained that it omitted some candidates from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections because their political parties failed to submit membership registers as required by law.
The clarification comes amid reactions from affected parties and candidates after the final list excluded prominent aspirants, including the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidates in Gombe and Ogun states, Isa Pantami and Ladi Adebutu.
Pantami's omission followed his win in a court-ordered rerun of the PDP governorship primary in Gombe, while Adebutu's name and that of his running mate were also missing from the list. The Ogun PDP subsequently accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of mounting pressure on INEC, and human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong urged the commission to demonstrate its impartiality.
In a statement signed by National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, INEC said the omissions followed the Supreme Court's September 24, 2026 judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, which upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5) to (7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers to the commission within the stipulated period, and the court also upheld INEC's timetable requiring parties to submit the registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
According to the commission, the Supreme Court held that parties that failed to comply with the requirements were ineligible to sponsor candidates in the elections, and INEC applied the judgment in finalising the governorship candidates' list in accordance with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
INEC noted that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had been published on September 12, 2026, thirteen days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.
Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly omitted have fourteen days from the date of publication to notify the commission, and INEC fixed October 24, 2026, as the deadline for such notifications.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process.
Source: Channels Television
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