The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has attributed the exclusion of some candidates from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections to their political parties’ failure to submit membership registers within the period prescribed by law.
Among those affected are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe states, Oladipupo Adebutu and Isa Pantami, respectively.
Adebutu’s name and that of his running mate were missing from INEC’s final list for Ogun State, while Pantami was excluded despite winning a court-ordered rerun of the PDP governorship primary in Gombe State.
The commission explained the omissions in a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna.
INEC said its decision followed a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, in the case of INEC v Zenith Labour Party, which upheld the constitutionality of provisions requiring political parties to submit their membership registers before conducting valid primaries.
The court ruling restored Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which the Court of Appeal had previously declared unconstitutional.
The provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC, while the commission’s election timetable fixed April 21 to May 10, 2026, for the submission.
According to INEC, the Supreme Court upheld the requirement and ruled that political parties that failed to comply would be ineligible to sponsor candidates in the elections.
“In accordance with Section 287(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Commission, while finalizing the list of candidates for the Governorship election applied the above decision of the Supreme Court and excluded political parties that failed to comply with Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, in relation to fielding of candidates,” the statement said.
Section 287(1) of the Constitution requires all authorities and persons in Nigeria to enforce the decisions of the Supreme Court.
The commission also explained why the presidential and National Assembly candidates’ lists were unaffected by the judgment.
“Meanwhile, the final list of Presidential and National Assembly candidates had already been published on 12th September, 2026, thirteen days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgement,” it said.
However, the commission said political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly excluded still have an opportunity to notify it.
Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, affected parties have 14 days from the date of publication of the final list to report the omissions. INEC fixed October 24, 2026, as the deadline.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process.
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