The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has attributed the omission of Oladipupo Adebutu, Isa Ali Pantami, and two other governorship candidates from its final list for the 2027 elections to provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 and a Supreme Court judgment affirming the legality of the requirements for political party membership registers.
The affected candidates are Adebutu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Pantami of the PDP in Gombe State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State, and Danjuma La’ah of the NDC in Kaduna State.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has also alleged that four of its candidates were excluded from the list released on Saturday.
The development has triggered protests from the affected political parties and candidates, with the PDP giving INEC 48 hours to explain the decision.
The party insists that Adebutu and Pantami fulfilled the requirements for nomination and has threatened legal action if the commission fails to provide a satisfactory explanation.
An INEC source said the affected candidates were omitted because their names were not found in the electronic membership registers submitted by their political parties at least 21 days before their respective primaries, as required by law.
The source explained that the commission had reviewed the provisional candidates’ lists alongside the parties’ membership registers following the Supreme Court’s September 24 judgment on the Electoral Act.
“Many politicians are negligent and they don’t take matters very seriously. They did not meet the conditions for eligibility as outlined by the law,” the source said, adding that INEC had decided to comply strictly with the law following the judgment.
The Supreme Court, in a decision delivered by a seven-member panel led by Justice Adamu Jauro, overturned an earlier Court of Appeal judgment that had voided sections of the Electoral Act 2026.
The apex court upheld Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2), ruling that the provisions constituted valid statutory regulations and did not conflict with the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Section 77(5) requires political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before primaries, congresses or conventions. Section 77(6) requires parties to use the submitted registers for those exercises, while Section 77(7) bars parties that fail to submit their registers within the stipulated period from fielding candidates in the affected election.
However, Pantami’s lawyers have challenged his exclusion, describing it as unlawful and unexplained in a protest letter dated October 12. The legal team, comprising senior advocates Ahmed Raji, A.T. Kehinde, Abdul Mohammed, Wale Balogun and Chief Tunde Falola, demanded that INEC restore his name.
The lawyers argued that Pantami was a registered PDP member whose details had been submitted to the commission. They said he participated in the party’s May 26 governorship primary, which was later nullified by the Federal High Court in Gombe on September 24.
According to the lawyers, a fresh primary was conducted on September 29 under INEC’s observation, and Pantami again emerged as the winner. They maintained that the commission lacked the authority to unilaterally disqualify a validly nominated candidate.
Meanwhile, Kaduna NDC Chairman Mordecai Ibrahim attributed La’ah’s omission to errors during the online submission of candidates’ particulars, blaming network problems for a mix-up in names.
The PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, said the party had formally written to INEC and was awaiting clarification. He questioned why the candidates’ names had previously been published before disappearing from the final list.
The governorship election is scheduled for February 6, 2027, leaving the affected parties seeking clarification and considering their legal options ahead of the poll.The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has attributed the omission of Oladipupo Adebutu, Isa Ali Pantami, and two other governorship candidates from its final list for the 2027 elections to provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 and a Supreme Court judgment affirming the legality of the requirements for political party membership registers.
The affected candidates are Adebutu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Pantami of the PDP in Gombe State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State, and Danjuma La’ah of the NDC in Kaduna State.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has also alleged that four of its candidates were excluded from the list released on Saturday.
The development has triggered protests from the affected political parties and candidates, with the PDP giving INEC 48 hours to explain the decision.
The party insists that Adebutu and Pantami fulfilled the requirements for nomination and has threatened legal action if the commission fails to provide a satisfactory explanation.
An INEC source said the affected candidates were omitted because their names were not found in the electronic membership registers submitted by their political parties at least 21 days before their respective primaries, as required by law.
The source explained that the commission had reviewed the provisional candidates’ lists alongside the parties’ membership registers following the Supreme Court’s September 24 judgment on the Electoral Act.
“Many politicians are negligent and they don’t take matters very seriously. They did not meet the conditions for eligibility as outlined by the law,” the source said, adding that INEC had decided to comply strictly with the law following the judgment.
The Supreme Court, in a decision delivered by a seven-member panel led by Justice Adamu Jauro, overturned an earlier Court of Appeal judgment that had voided sections of the Electoral Act 2026.
The apex court upheld Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2), ruling that the provisions constituted valid statutory regulations and did not conflict with the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Section 77(5) requires political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before primaries, congresses or conventions. Section 77(6) requires parties to use the submitted registers for those exercises, while Section 77(7) bars parties that fail to submit their registers within the stipulated period from fielding candidates in the affected election.
However, Pantami’s lawyers have challenged his exclusion, describing it as unlawful and unexplained in a protest letter dated October 12. The legal team, comprising senior advocates Ahmed Raji, A.T. Kehinde, Abdul Mohammed, Wale Balogun and Chief Tunde Falola, demanded that INEC restore his name.
The lawyers argued that Pantami was a registered PDP member whose details had been submitted to the commission. They said he participated in the party’s May 26 governorship primary, which was later nullified by the Federal High Court in Gombe on September 24.
According to the lawyers, a fresh primary was conducted on September 29 under INEC’s observation, and Pantami again emerged as the winner. They maintained that the commission lacked the authority to unilaterally disqualify a validly nominated candidate.
Meanwhile, Kaduna NDC Chairman Mordecai Ibrahim attributed La’ah’s omission to errors during the online submission of candidates’ particulars, blaming network problems for a mix-up in names.
The PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, said the party had formally written to INEC and was awaiting clarification. He questioned why the candidates’ names had previously been published before disappearing from the final list.
The governorship election is scheduled for February 6, 2027, leaving the affected parties seeking clarification and considering their legal options ahead of the poll.
