- INEC published its final list of candidates for the 2027 elections, naming several politicians whose party membership status had been under scrutiny following a Supreme Court ruling
- The September 24 Supreme Court judgment restored key Electoral Act provisions requiring parties to submit membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before primaries
- Former IGP Mohammed Adamu, ex-Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, and Senator Saliu Mustapha are among those who made the final list despite questions about their party switches
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
FCT, Abuja - The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published its final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, and it includes several prominent politicians whose eligibility had been in doubt following a Supreme Court ruling on party membership registers.
The judgment, delivered on September 24, 2026, reversed an earlier Court of Appeal decision and restored Sections 77(5)–(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026.
Source: UGC
The restored provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC no later than 21 days before their primaries, and only members whose names appear on those registers can vote or be voted for at such exercises.
Politicians who made INEC final list
As reported by Daily Trust, former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu appears as the Social Democratic Party's governorship candidate in Nasarawa State.
He defected from the APC before its primary and later emerged through a substitution process after the SDP's previously listed nominee, Musa Angbazo, withdrew. His campaign argued that the Supreme Court ruling did not affect his candidacy.
In Rivers State, former House of Representatives Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda is listed as the APC governorship candidate. He registered with the APC on April 27, 2026, and contested its primary on May 21, though his formal defection from the PDP was only announced on June 2, after the primary had taken place. The Rivers APC defended his nomination throughout the controversy.
Former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, who lost the APC senatorial primary for Delta Central to incumbent Senator Ede Dafinone in May, resigned from the APC on May 22 and joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
He secured the NDC's Delta Central senatorial ticket through a consensus arrangement after the party granted him a waiver.
Senator Shehu Buba Umar is published as the Peoples Redemption Party's governorship candidate in Bauchi State, alongside running mate Aliyu Tijjani Mohammed.
He initially declared his governorship ambition on the APC platform before moving to the PRP, where delegates affirmed him at a special congress on May 25.
In Kwara State, Senator Saliu Mustapha left the APC in August after losing its governorship primary to Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu and failing to secure the APC senatorial ticket.
He joined the PDP and obtained its Kwara Central senatorial ticket through a substitution process, and INEC's list places him against Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who is contesting the same seat on the APC platform.
Former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker Victor Ochei also appears on the list as the NDC candidate for Delta North senatorial district. Like Omo-Agege, he received a party waiver to participate in the NDC primary on May 28 after leaving the APC.
What INEC said before the list
National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education Mohammed Haruna had warned that parties whose candidates were not members at the time they contested for tickets would be barred from the elections.
The final list settled the question for these six politicians, at least at the administrative level, though any legal challenges to individual candidacies remain subject to court proceedings.
PDP, NDC governorship candidates dropped by INEC
Legit.ng earlier reported that INEC published its final list of governorship candidates for the February 6, 2027 elections, leaving out prominent names across four states.
The exclusions follow a Supreme Court ruling in September that restored Electoral Act 2026 provisions on party membership registers.
PDP candidates in Gombe and Ogun, as well as an NDC candidate in Kano and four party candidates in Bauchi, were all dropped from the list.
Source: Legit.ng