mORGANABLE Politics/elections
INEC disclosed on Thursday that it had upheld 66 petitions and rejected 64 others after examining complaints, nomination records and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
KaNo —
The Independent National Electoral Commission has cleared former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, to contest the 2027 governorship election in Gombe State, while rejecting petitions seeking the inclusion of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo.
The development followed the commission’s review of 130 petitions submitted by political parties over the omission and inclusion of candidates in the final lists for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.
INEC disclosed on Thursday that it had upheld 66 petitions and rejected 64 others after examining complaints, nomination records and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
A senior official of the commission, who spoke to Punch on Thursday night on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, confirmed that Pantami had been cleared to participate in the Gombe governorship election.
However, the official explained that Adebutu and Gwarzo were unsuccessful in their attempts to secure clearance, leaving their participation in the forthcoming elections uncertain.
According to the source, Adebutu’s petition was rejected because his name was not among the candidates originally submitted to the electoral commission by the PDP.
The official maintained that the commission could not approve the inclusion of a candidate whose name was absent from the nomination records submitted by the political party.
“His petition was rejected because his name was not included in the list of candidates originally submitted to INEC by the PDP,” the source said.
The development raises fresh uncertainty over Adebutu’s governorship ambition in Ogun State, particularly as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections.
On Gwarzo, the source explained that the Kano State deputy governor would ordinarily have secured clearance but for an existing court order restraining the commission from publishing his name.
He disclosed that an ex parte order issued by the Federal High Court prevented INEC from including Gwarzo in the updated list of governorship candidates.
“He would have scaled through, but unfortunately, there was an ex parte order from the Federal High Court barring INEC from publishing his name. That was the reason he was not cleared,” the official explained.
The source added that Gwarzo’s participation in the election would depend on the eventual resolution of the litigation surrounding his candidacy.
Unlike Adebutu, whose petition was rejected over discrepancies in the nomination records submitted by his party, Gwarzo’s exclusion was linked to the subsisting judicial directive.
The official further disclosed that the commission was expected to publish an updated list of candidates on Friday, reflecting the decisions reached after reviewing the petitions.
INEC had, on October 10, 2026, published the names of candidates nominated by political parties for the presidential, National Assembly, governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.
However, the omission of several prominent political figures, including Adebutu, Pantami and Gwarzo, generated complaints from affected candidates and their political parties.
The commission subsequently received petitions challenging the published lists, with political parties demanding the inclusion of candidates they claimed had been validly nominated.
In a statement issued on Thursday night, the Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, confirmed that the commission had concluded its review of the complaints.
Haruna explained that the petitions concerned the omission of political parties, the inclusion of individuals whose names were not contained in their parties’ membership registers and allegations of multiple nominations.
He stated that the commission examined the complaints alongside nomination documents, party membership records and relevant legal provisions before arriving at its decisions.
“Following a review of the complaints, relevant records and applicable legal provisions, the commission found merit in some representations and approved the inclusion of affected candidates and their political parties, while complaints found to be without merit were declined,” Haruna said.
The commission also approved the removal of certain candidates whose names had been published despite their absence from the membership registers submitted by their respective political parties.
According to the statement, candidates whose nominations failed to comply with the applicable electoral requirements were equally affected by the review.
“The commission also approved the removal of candidates whose nominations were found to be inconsistent with the applicable legal requirements,” the statement added.
Providing a breakdown of the petitions, INEC disclosed that it received 69 complaints from 12 political parties across 26 states concerning the governorship elections.
Of the petitions, 41 were upheld after the commission established that the complaints had merit, while the remaining 28 were rejected.
For the state Houses of Assembly elections, the electoral body received 61 petitions from 11 political parties across 11 states.
The commission approved 25 of the petitions and rejected 36 others after reviewing the supporting documents and relevant electoral requirements.
The figures brought the total number of successful petitions to 66, while 64 complaints were dismissed across the two categories of elections.
INEC explained that its decisions were based on the specific circumstances surrounding each complaint, stressing that the review was conducted in accordance with established legal procedures.
The commission assured political parties and affected candidates that the revised lists would be published on its official website to reflect the outcome of the exercise.
The latest development comes amid controversy over the implementation of provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, particularly requirements concerning the submission of political party membership registers.
In an earlier statement issued on October 13, INEC attributed the omission of some candidates to alleged non-compliance with the law governing party membership documentation and candidate nominations.
The commission maintained that its actions followed the September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgment affirming the constitutionality of Section 77(5) to (7) of the Electoral Act.
The provisions make the submission of political party membership registers mandatory, strengthening the commission’s responsibility to verify the eligibility of candidates presented for elections.
INEC reiterated its commitment to transparency, compliance with judicial decisions and the credibility of the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
While Pantami’s clearance has resolved uncertainty surrounding his governorship candidacy in Gombe, Adebutu and Gwarzo face continued uncertainty over their electoral ambitions, with Gwarzo’s fate particularly dependent on the outcome of the pending court proceedings.
