The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is facing mounting pressure to explain the omission of several governorship and legislative candidates from its final list for the 2027 general elections, with affected political parties threatening protests, petitions and legal action.
The disputed list has triggered fresh anxiety among candidates and their supporters across several states, with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, African Democratic Congress, ADC, Action Alliance, AA, and other parties challenging omissions and substitutions contained in the commission’s publication.
While some parties have attributed the discrepancies to administrative or technical errors, others are battling internal leadership disputes, competing nomination claims and court cases that have complicated the determination of their authentic candidates.
Among the prominent names missing from the list are former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami, the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State; the party’s Ogun State candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu; NDC candidate Aminu Gwarzo in Kano State; former senator Danjuma Tella La’ah in Kaduna State; and the Social Democratic Party, SDP, governorship candidate in Benue State, Prof Sebastine Hon, SAN.
The Action Alliance has also threatened legal action over the omission of some of its candidates, while the ADC has protested the exclusion of several of its candidates in Jigawa State.
The controversy has raised fresh questions over the accuracy of INEC’s final list, the eligibility of affected candidates and the legal remedies available to parties ahead of the elections.
INEC’s final list, signed by the commission’s Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, contains the names of candidates and running mates cleared to contest the 2027 elections.
However, the commission had yet to publicly explain several of the disputed omissions as of the time of filing this report.
PDP Moves to Recover Ogun, Gombe Tickets
The PDP has begun discussions with INEC over the omission of its governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe states.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, said the party was seeking an amicable resolution in accordance with the law and established electoral guidelines.
“The party wishes to assure all affected candidates, members and supporters that it is already engaging with INEC to address the issues responsible for the omissions, with a view to securing an amicable resolution in accordance with the law and established electoral guidelines,” the party said.
The PDP urged affected candidates and supporters to remain calm while the discussions continue.
INEC’s final lists for Ogun and Gombe contained 13 and 16 governorship candidates respectively, but neither list included a PDP candidate.
The omission affects Adebutu in Ogun and Pantami in Gombe.
Adebutu: I Remain PDP Candidate
Adebutu has rejected any suggestion that he was ineligible to contest, insisting that he remains a registered PDP member and fulfilled the requirements for his nomination.
He said he completed his digital membership registration within the stipulated period and that his membership card was printed and verified before the relevant documents were submitted to INEC.
According to him, the governorship primary that produced him as the PDP candidate was conducted in the presence of INEC officials who attended as observers.
“I am aware of the concerns following the omission of my name from INEC’s published list of Ogun governorship candidates for the 2027 election. I consider it important to address you directly and reassure you that there is no cause for alarm,” Adebutu said.
He alleged that the Ogun PDP had come under pressure from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, questioning why his name was missing while the party’s candidates for the state House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate appeared on the list.
Adebutu said the party would pursue the matter through the appropriate channels.
“No amount of intimidation should prevent the people of Ogun State from having a fair opportunity to choose leaders of choice,” he said.
However, Kayode Odunaro, Special Adviser on Media to the APC governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Adeola, dismissed the allegation that the APC pressured INEC to exclude Adebutu.
Odunaro said the PDP should instead examine whether it complied with INEC’s administrative procedures and electoral requirements.
“How can anyone now attribute the failure of PDP to follow through on simple administrative procedures and adherence to rules of the game to pressure from APC on INEC leading to the non-listing of their candidate as a contestant?” he asked.
He argued that similar omissions had affected candidates from other parties and states.
Odunaro added that the APC and Adeola were prepared to face whichever candidate was officially recognised by INEC.
Pantami Camp Seeks Calm
In Gombe, Pantami’s supporters have also been urged to remain calm following his omission from the list.
Pantami emerged as the PDP governorship candidate after a fresh primary conducted on September 29, 2026, following a Federal High Court order that necessitated another exercise to determine the party’s flagbearer.
The spokesperson for the Pantamiyya Movement, Prof Suleiman Mohammed, described the omission as a temporary setback that could still be resolved within the period permitted by law.
“Our legal and liaison teams are already engaging with the relevant organs of the party and INEC to ensure full compliance and rectification within the window provided by law. By the grace of Allah, this matter will be resolved,” he said.
Mohammed also alleged that some individuals were working behind the scenes to frustrate what he described as responsible leadership in Gombe State, but did not identify them.
He urged supporters to continue mobilisation and remain focused on the 2027 campaign.
NDC Challenges Gwarzo’s Omission
In Kano, the NDC has vowed to challenge the omission of its governorship candidate, Aminu Gwarzo, and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The party’s state chairman, Hussaini Mairiga, said their names were submitted to INEC within the applicable deadlines.
Mairiga described the omission as a possible administrative mix-up and insisted that Gwarzo and Kwankwaso remained the party’s authentic candidates.
“Gwarzo’s name was submitted to INEC, and he and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, are the authentic flagbearers of the party,” he said.
He added that INEC could not substitute candidates nominated by the party.
The party’s Public Relations Officer, Yusif Fasaha, similarly attributed the omission to what he described as a technical problem.
“I want to assure you, as the PRO of the party, the problem is not from us. We have consulted INEC, and they told us that the problem was from the computer, and they will rectify it,” Fasaha said.
However, INEC had not publicly confirmed that a computer error caused the omission as of the time of filing this report.
Action Alliance Threatens Legal Action
The Action Alliance has threatened legal action over the omission of several of its candidates from the INEC list.
Its National Chairman and presidential candidate, Aare Adekunle Omo-Aje, said the party’s legal team was preparing a formal complaint to the electoral commission.
The affected governorship candidates identified by the party include Eke Israel in Rivers, Titilola-Sodo Dayo in Oyo, Abdullah-Bukharin in Nasarawa and Zubairu Musa in Bauchi.
Omo-Aje said some National Assembly and state House of Assembly candidates were also affected.
“There is no cause for alarm. All mechanisms are being put in place to address the issue and ensure that no legitimate candidate of the party is disenfranchised,” he said.
He maintained that the party complied with INEC’s guidelines and deadlines and urged the commission to strengthen its verification process before publishing final lists.
ADC Protests Jigawa Omissions
In Jigawa State, the ADC has protested the omission of its endorsed deputy governorship candidate, Aminu Ringim, whose name was replaced by Musa Balarabe on the published list.
The party also said about seven other candidates endorsed by its state chapter were missing.
The ADC’s Deputy State Chairman, Nuraddeen Jidawa, said the party did not regard the published list as the end of the matter.
“The party doesn’t consider the released list as final. We will continue to reach out to the electoral umpire through any legal means,” he said.
He said the affected candidates included those contesting constituencies covering Hadejia/Auyo/Kafin Hausa, Kaugama and Birnin Kudu.
Kaduna Ticket Faces Fresh Dispute
In Kaduna State, NDC governorship candidate and former senator, Danjuma Tella La’ah, was also absent from the list amid an unresolved dispute over the party’s ticket.
The party’s state chairman, Evangelist Mordecai Ibrahim, blamed the omission on an alleged registration discrepancy.
He said network problems during the online registration process resulted in multiple registration attempts and a subsequent mix-up involving La’ah’s name.
“The problem is that there was a mix-up of names.
The person who registered him made a mistake because, each time there were network issues, we got several people to try registering him,” Ibrahim said.
He insisted that the issue was being addressed and expressed confidence that La’ah would eventually be listed.
The omission comes against the backdrop of an earlier disagreement within the NDC over whether La’ah or lawyer Mohammed Abbas should fly the party’s flag in Kaduna.
In August, Ibrahim said the party had yet to reach a final decision between the two aspirants.
INEC had not publicly responded to the explanation as of the time of filing this report.
Other Parties Affected
The omissions have spread beyond the PDP, NDC, ADC and AA.
In Benue State, SDP governorship candidate Prof Sebastine Hon, SAN, was missing from INEC’s list of 13 candidates.
The party’s state chairman, Idoko Itodo, described the omission as an error and expressed confidence that it would be corrected.
“The omission of our governorship candidate on the latest list must be an error; it has nothing to do with the Supreme Court judgment because our candidate had registered as a party member before the deadline for submission of party membership,” he said.
In Bauchi State, the SDP said it would convene an emergency meeting over the omission of some candidates, including its governorship candidate.
The party’s state chairman, Nasiru Dan-Bauchi, linked the development to the party’s internal crisis and said the state chapter would communicate its position to the national leadership after deliberations.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, also appealed for calm following the omission of its Bauchi governorship candidate, Ambassador Shuaibu Ahmed.
The party’s state chairman, Abdulkareem Matori, said the NNPP believed the omission was inadvertent and was engaging relevant authorities.
“We are confident that the matter will be addressed through the appropriate lawful channels. Amb. Shuaibu Ahmed remains in the race and shall be Bauchi State Governor come 2027,” he said.
In Plateau State, PDP governorship aspirant Sunday Biggs was missing from the list, while Ropshik Wungak appeared as the party’s candidate, with Kim Dung listed as his running mate.
A PDP official attributed the development to the leadership dispute involving the factions associated with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Tanimu Turaki, saying the matter remained before the Court of Appeal.
“We have no problem with his missing name. Don’t forget the matter is still in court,” the official said.
In Nasarawa State, Accord Party governorship candidate Shuaibu Kubi was also not listed, while Bukhari Nata’ala of the Action Alliance, whose name appeared on an earlier list, was absent from the final publication.
Party Primaries Add to Confusion
In Lagos State, some disputes centre on party primaries and subsequent substitutions rather than simple omissions.
In Agege Constituencies I and II, Ganiyu Egunjobi and Azeez Ninalowo reportedly won APC primaries but were subsequently dropped from the party’s final tickets. Both later defected to the Allied Peoples Movement, while their replacements appeared on INEC’s list.
A similar controversy involved Noheem Adams, the Lagos State House of Assembly Majority Leader.
Adams reportedly won the APC primary for Eti-Osa Constituency I with 7,638 votes against Saheed Bankole’s 1,225. However, Bankole was subsequently listed by INEC as the APC candidate.
In Oyo State, the SDP candidate, Mogaji Agboola, was omitted after the party reportedly replaced its earlier candidate, Michael Okunlade.
The wave of omissions, substitutions and competing claims has now placed renewed attention on INEC’s candidate verification process.
With parties already considering petitions and court action, unresolved disputes could further complicate preparations for the 2027 elections and trigger a fresh round of litigation over who ultimately appears on the ballot.