morGANABLE Politics/elections
INEC had attributed the exclusion of some candidates to the Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, in the case of INEC v. Zenith Labour Party
KaNo—
The political ambitions of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Pantami; former Ogun State governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu; and the Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo, remain uncertain following the expiration of the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission for resolving complaints over the omission of candidates from its final list for the 2027 elections.
The 14-day window given to political parties to challenge the exclusion of their candidates expired on Saturday, October 24, without any publicly announced resolution concerning the affected candidates.
According to Punch,the Peoples Democratic Party and the NDC had submitted complaints to the electoral commission, insisting that their candidates were wrongly excluded despite complying with the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
However, INEC had yet to announce whether it would review the final list published on October 10, leaving the affected candidates uncertain about their participation in the February 6, 2027 governorship elections.
The development has raised concerns within the affected political parties, particularly as preparations for the elections gather momentum across the country.
INEC had attributed the exclusion of some candidates to the Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, in the case of INEC v. Zenith Labour Party.
The judgment upheld Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which require political parties to submit their membership registers to the commission within the prescribed period and use the registers for their primaries, congresses and conventions.
The commission maintained that political parties that failed to comply with the provisions were ineligible to sponsor candidates for the elections.
Following complaints from affected parties, INEC gave political parties until October 24 to notify it of candidates allegedly omitted from the final list in accordance with Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act.
Despite the opportunity, the affected parties maintained that their candidates had fulfilled the legal requirements and demanded the correction of the alleged omissions.
The PDP insisted that its governorship candidates in Gombe and Ogun states were validly nominated and should not have been excluded from the final list.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mohammed Jungudo, had earlier disclosed that the leadership and legal representatives of the affected candidates approached INEC to seek redress.
He explained that the party would consider approaching the courts if the electoral commission failed to resolve the complaints within the stipulated period.
On October 15, the PDP, through its National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, deposed to an affidavit at the Federal High Court Registry in Abuja, challenging the omission of Pantami and Adebutu.
The affidavit maintained that both candidates satisfied the relevant nomination requirements and urged the commission to restore their names to the list.
In Ogun State, the Director of Media for the Ladi Adebutu Campaign Organisation, Afolabi Orekoya, expressed confidence that the former governorship candidate would eventually be included.
Orekoya said the party had approached INEC and completed the necessary procedures to address the situation.
“We have approached INEC, and we have done all the necessary things required of us. We are very confident that by October 24, the name of Hon. Ladi Adebutu will be published by INEC in the revised list of candidates,” he said.
He added that Adebutu remained optimistic about participating in the election and had continued encouraging supporters despite the uncertainty surrounding his candidacy.
Similarly, the Ogun State PDP Chairman, Abayomi Tella, described the exclusion as an error by the electoral commission.
Tella insisted that the party complied with the Constitution and Electoral Act in conducting its nomination process.
“The party views the omission as an error by INEC; we are very confident and optimistic that INEC will restore the name because every requirement of the law has been fulfilled,” he said.
He maintained that the party was not disturbed by the development, expressing confidence that the commission would address the complaint.
In Gombe State, Pantami’s camp also rejected his exclusion, describing the decision as unjustified.
An aide to the former minister, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Pantami was prepared to pursue available legal remedies to secure his participation in the election.
The aide disclosed that the former minister’s lawyers had written to INEC, demanding that the commission reverse the omission.
“Malam has chosen to fight this illegality. We have appealed this illegality. You saw the letter written by Senior Advocates of Nigeria and their 72-hour order. We have chosen to appeal this case, and until we get a solution, we will not back out,” the aide said.
Pantami emerged as the PDP governorship candidate following a court-ordered rerun of the party’s primary election on September 29.
Although his name appeared on INEC’s provisional list released on August 29, it was subsequently excluded from the final list published on October 10.
The circumstances surrounding the omission have continued to generate controversy within the party, with supporters demanding clarification from the electoral commission.
Similarly, the NDC rejected the exclusion of its Kano State governorship candidate, Gwarzo, and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, disclosed that the NDC had formally written to INEC challenging the exclusion.
According to him, the commission acknowledged receipt of the correspondence but had yet to provide a substantive response.
Director maintained that the party would explore available legal options if INEC failed to address its complaint.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Achievers Movement demanded greater transparency from the electoral commission regarding the exclusion and inclusion of governorship candidates.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its National President, Prof Bishop-Fumlack Victor, the association questioned the exclusion of Pantami, Adebutu and Gwarzo.
It also raised concerns about the inclusion of Senator Shehu-Buba Umar of the Peoples Redemption Party in Bauchi State, former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu of the Social Democratic Party in Nasarawa State, and Kingsley Chinda of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State.
The association said the nomination processes involving the candidates had attracted public scrutiny, making it necessary for INEC to explain the legal basis for its decisions.
“Our concern is that INEC should demonstrate that the same applicable legal standards have been applied fairly, consistently and transparently to every political party and candidate,” the statement read.
The group clarified that it was neither seeking the automatic reinstatement of excluded candidates nor demanding the disqualification of those already included.
Rather, it urged INEC to provide clear explanations demonstrating that the same legal requirements were applied consistently to all political parties.
With the October 24 deadline now expired, attention has shifted to the commission’s next decision and the possibility of further legal challenges by the affected parties.
INEC, however, maintained that its preparation of the final candidates’ list was guided by the Supreme Court judgment and the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
