The fate of three high-profile governorship candidates—Isa Ali Pantami of the Peoples Democratic Party in Gombe, Muhammad Nami of the PDP in Niger and former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu of the Social Democratic Party in Nasarawa—may become clearer on Tuesday as the Independent National Electoral Commission addresses the implications of the Supreme Court’s recent electoral law judgment.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, is expected to address a world press conference on the commission’s preparedness for the 2027 elections and clarify questions arising from the apex court’s decision on party membership registers and candidate nomination.
The Supreme Court on September 24 restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 after setting aside the Court of Appeal judgment that had voided the provisions. The apex court held that the provisions were not inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution.
The ruling has triggered debate over candidates who changed political parties after failing to secure tickets from their former parties, and whether their membership status complied with the statutory requirements before their new parties’ primaries.
In Gombe, attention has focused on Pantami, who withdrew from the APC governorship primary on May 19, resigned from the party and joined the PDP.
Critics have questioned whether Pantami’s membership of the PDP complied with the relevant register requirements, while PDP supporters argue that the Supreme Court merely upheld the constitutionality of the provisions and did not make a specific finding against his candidacy.
They further contend that a subsequent court-ordered fresh primary conducted on September 29 could have altered the legal circumstances surrounding his nomination.
A similar question has emerged in Niger over Nami, the PDP governorship candidate.
Nami was previously associated with the APC before emerging as the PDP candidate on August 29 following the withdrawal of the party’s earlier candidate.
Constitutional lawyer Abdulmumin Jibril Abdullahi said Nami’s candidacy could face scrutiny if evidence establishes that his name was not contained in the PDP membership register submitted to INEC within the period prescribed by law.
Nami’s supporters, however, maintain that the legal position is not conclusive and point to provisions governing the replacement of candidates following withdrawal or death.
In Nasarawa, the controversy surrounds former IGP Mohammed Adamu, who replaced the SDP’s earlier governorship candidate, Adamu Angba, after his withdrawal.
Supporters of another aspirant, Muhammad Muhammad, have challenged the process, while Adamu’s campaign organisation maintains that the former police chief was not a party to the Supreme Court case and that no consequential order was made against his candidacy.
At the heart of the controversy is Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026, which requires political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC within the prescribed period before primaries and provides that only members listed in the submitted register are eligible to vote or be voted for at party primaries. The law also bars parties from using a different register for the exercise.
The Supreme Court judgment has therefore created a fresh legal test for political parties and candidates whose nominations followed defections, substitutions or fresh primaries.
INEC’s position is now eagerly awaited, particularly on whether and how the restored provisions apply to nomination processes that had already taken place.
With the governorship and State Assembly final list scheduled for publication on October 10, the commission’s clarification could have immediate consequences for the affected candidates and their parties.