2027: Why we disqualified, Pantami, Adebutu, Gwarzo – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has clarified its exclusion of certain candidates from the final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship elections, attributing the decision to the failure of their respective political parties to submit membership registers in accordance with statutory requirements.

The explanation followed objections raised by affected political parties and candidates after the release of the final list, which notably excluded prominent aspirants, including the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidates in Gombe and Ogun states, Isa Pantami and Ladi Adebutu, respectively.

Pantami’s exclusion followed his victory in a court-ordered rerun of the PDP governorship primary in Gombe State, while Adebutu and his running mate were also absent from the list.

The Ogun PDP subsequently alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, had exerted undue influence on INEC, while prominent human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong urged the commission to uphold its institutional neutrality.

In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the commission attributed the exclusions to the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026, ruling in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, which affirmed the constitutional validity of Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

These statutory provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers to the commission within the prescribed timeframe. The court also upheld INEC’s timetable requiring parties to submit their registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.

According to the commission, the Supreme Court ruled that political parties that failed to fulfil these obligations were disqualified from fielding candidates in the electoral process.

INEC said it implemented the court’s ruling when compiling the list of governorship candidates, in accordance with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The commission noted that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates were published on September 12, 2026, 13 days before the Supreme Court delivered its ruling.

Furthermore, INEC noted that, pursuant to Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, any political party claiming that its candidates had been improperly excluded has 14 days from the date of publication to notify the commission.

INEC has fixed October 24, 2026, as the deadline for submitting such notifications.

The commission reiterated its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the integrity of the electoral process.