The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained that the failure of some political parties to submit their membership registers led to the omission of their governorship candidates from the final list for the 2027 elections.
Among those affected are Isa Pantami, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State, and Ladi Adebutu, the party’s candidate in Ogun State.
Pantami’s name was missing despite his victory in a court-ordered rerun of the PDP governorship primary in Gombe. Adebutu and his running mate were also excluded from the final list.
The omissions have triggered reactions from affected politicians and party members, with the Ogun PDP accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of putting pressure on the electoral commission. Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong also challenged INEC to demonstrate its impartiality.
However, INEC said its action followed the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026, judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, which upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the court upheld the requirement for political parties to submit their membership registers within the stipulated period.
The commission said the judgment also upheld its timetable requiring parties to submit their registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
According to INEC, the Supreme Court ruled that political parties that failed to meet the requirement were ineligible to sponsor candidates in the elections.
The commission said it applied the judgment while finalising the governorship candidates’ list in line with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
INEC explained that it had published the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates on September 12, 2026, before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on September 24.
It added that Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, allows political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly omitted to notify the commission within 14 days of publication.
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.