2027: Protest, Relief As INEC Releases Final Candidates’ List
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, triggering mixed reactions following the omission of some prominent politicians, including former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, and the Ogun State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ladi Adebutu.
While the omissions have raised concerns among supporters of the affected politicians, other political camps have expressed relief and excitement after their candidates were included in the list.
The Ogun State chapter of the PDP accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of allegedly mounting pressure on INEC to exclude Adebutu, while Pantami’s camp urged supporters to remain calm. Former Kano State Deputy Governor, Aminu Gwarzo, who was reportedly omitted as the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in the state, had yet to react as of the time of the report.
INEC published the names of candidates contesting the presidential, governorship and National Assembly elections on its website on Saturday, October 10, 2026, marking a significant stage in preparations for the 2027 polls.
A review of the published list showed that 18 presidential candidates had been listed for the election. Among them were President Bola Tinubu of the APC, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, Peter Obi of the NDC, Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement.
The list also covered governorship candidates in 26 states, including Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Rivers and Zamfara.
However, a review of the published names showed that while several politicians whose nominations had attracted public attention were included, others were missing, raising questions about their participation in the elections.
Among those whose names were reportedly absent were Pantami, the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State, and Adebutu, the party’s candidate in Ogun State. Adebutu’s running mate, Alhaja Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, was also omitted, alongside the Accord Party governorship candidate in Ogun, Alhaji Olaniyi Agbongboakala.
The omissions have drawn attention to disputes surrounding party primaries, membership registers and the legal requirements for nominating candidates, particularly following a recent Supreme Court judgment on compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
It was not immediately clear whether the omissions were directly connected to the judgment or arose from other legal or administrative issues relating to the candidates’ nominations.
Pantami’s Omission
In Gombe State, Pantami’s absence from the list came despite his emergence as the PDP governorship candidate in a fresh primary conducted following a court ruling that nullified his earlier nomination.
The Federal High Court sitting in Gombe had set aside Pantami’s initial emergence as the party’s candidate and ordered a fresh primary following a suit instituted by Usman Garry.
Garry had argued that the PDP failed to conduct a valid governorship primary before announcing Pantami as its candidate on June 26, 2026. He maintained that the party’s adoption of Pantami without the required primary violated its guidelines and applicable electoral laws.
In her judgment, Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed directed the PDP to conduct a fresh primary in accordance with its guidelines and the relevant electoral laws.
Following the ruling, the party conducted a repeat governorship primary on Tuesday across the 114 wards in Gombe State’s 11 local government areas.
Pantami won the rerun with 2,024 votes, defeating former House of Representatives member Khamisu Mailantarki, who scored 389 votes, and former Gombe State House of Assembly member Usman Aliyu Garry, who polled 112 votes.
Despite his victory, Pantami’s name and that of the PDP were reportedly absent from INEC’s published list of governorship candidates for Gombe State.
Reacting to the development, the spokesperson for the Pantamiyya Movement, Professor Suleiman Mohammed, urged supporters to remain calm, describing the omission as a temporary challenge rather than a final determination of Pantami’s political future.
In a statement shared on Pantami’s Facebook account, Mohammed said the camp was aware of the omission but remained hopeful that the issue would be resolved as the electoral process progressed.
“This is a temporary challenge and a normal part of the electoral process, not a final determination, in sha Allah,” the statement read.
The statement did not specify the legal or administrative steps the party or Pantami’s camp intended to take to address the omission.
INEC’s published list named Bala Bello of the ADC, Ardo Kumo of the NDC and Gwamna Isyaku of the APC as governorship candidates in Gombe State.
Ogun PDP Alleges Interference
In Ogun State, the PDP accused the APC of allegedly mounting undue pressure on INEC to exclude Adebutu from the final list, claiming that the ruling party was concerned about its chances in the governorship election.
The allegation was contained in a statement issued by the party’s state Publicity Secretary, Kayode Adebayo, who urged residents and PDP supporters not to panic over the omission.
The party insisted that Adebutu remained its duly nominated candidate and expressed confidence that his name would eventually be published by the electoral commission.
According to the PDP, Adebutu registered as a party member within the stipulated period, obtained a printed membership card, underwent verification and submitted the required information to INEC before the deadline.
The party maintained that the omission would not discourage its efforts to challenge the APC in the 2027 election.
“The public should be informed that the omission of our candidate’s name in INEC’s list is as a result of the undue pressure mounted by the ruling party on INEC out of fear of losing the election,” the statement said.
The allegation had not been independently established in the report.
The published list included 13 governorship candidates in Ogun State, among them Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, of the APC; Jimi Lawal of the ADC; Babajide Rotimi of the Allied Peoples Movement; Adenuga Adekunle of the Boot Party; and Akinbola Rotham of the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
Agbongboakala, the Accord Party governorship candidate, was also reportedly missing from the list.
Chinda, Omo-Agege, Ochei Make the List
Meanwhile, the published list included several high-profile politicians whose nominations had attracted attention following the Supreme Court’s ruling on political party membership registers and candidate selection.
On September 24, 2026, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court, in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Adamu Jauro, upheld an appeal filed by INEC and restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which the Court of Appeal had earlier invalidated.
The case originated from a suit filed by the Zenith Labour Party challenging the constitutionality of the provisions.
Under the restored provisions, only party members whose names appear in the membership register submitted to INEC at least 21 days before a primary, congress or convention may participate in the exercise.
Political parties are required to use the submitted register, while failure to submit it within the statutory period prevents a party from fielding candidates. Section 84(2) also provides for the nomination of candidates through direct primaries or consensus.
The judgment raised questions about politicians who changed political parties shortly before their primaries, including Kingsley Chinda, Ovie Omo-Agege and Victor Ochei.
However, the judgment did not expressly disqualify the politicians, meaning the validity of their individual nominations depends on compliance with the applicable legal requirements.
Chinda, listed as the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, made the list. Omo-Agege, a former Deputy Senate President contesting the Delta Central senatorial seat under the NDC, was also included.
Similarly, former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker Victor Ochei appeared on the list as the NDC candidate for the Delta North senatorial district.
Other Candidates
The list provided further details of candidates expected to contest governorship elections in the 26 states covered by the publication.
In Kwara State, Zakari Mohammed was listed as the ADC candidate, Yakubu Danladi Salihu as the APC candidate, Abdulmumin Ajia as the NDC candidate and Kawu Bolakale as the PDP candidate.
In Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour was listed for the ADC, Obafemi Hamzat for the APC, Doherty Adeshina for the NDC and Doherty Olugbemiga for the PDP.
In Abia State, the candidates included Kalu Agu of the ADC, Ndubuisi Ogah of the NDC, Kelechi Anosike of the PDP and Eric Chinemeucheya of the APC.
Adamawa State’s list included Modibo Ribadu of the ADC, Aishatu Ahmed of the NDC, Maurice Vunobolki of the PDP and Ahmed Galadima of the APC.
In Akwa Ibom State, John Akpanudoedehe was listed for the ADC, Michael Eyong for the NDC, Sunday Akpan for the PDP and Umo Eno for the APC.
Benue State’s candidates included Hembe Lorwase of the ADC, Terhemba Shija of the NDC, Michael Aondoakaa of the PDP and Governor Hyacinth Alia of the APC.
In Borno State, Babagana Buhari was listed for the ADC, Ibrahim Kashim for the NDC, Abba-Gana Baba for the PDP and Mustapha Gubio for the APC.
In Ebonyi State, the candidates included Ukpai Udeh of the ADC, Igwe Paulinus of the NDC, Chukwuma Ifeanyi of the PDP and Francis Nwifuru of the APC.
Enugu State’s list featured Ocho Chukwuma of the ADC, Christian Ohaa of the NDC, Geoffrey Nnaji of the PDP and Ndubuisi Mbah of the APC.
In Kaduna State, Isa Ashiru was listed for the ADC, Bawa Usman for the PDP and Sani Uba for the APC. Kano State’s list included Ibrahim Amin of the ADC, Yusuf Kabir of the APC and Abacha Sani of the PDP.
In Oyo State, Yusuf Adebola was listed for the NDC, Adegoke Adegboyega for the ADC, Gbolarumi Ola for the PDP and Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli for the APC.
In Sokoto State, the candidates included Aliyu Ahmad of the NDC, Manir Dan’iya of the ADC, Abdullahi Sokoto Abubakar of the PDP and Aliyu Ahmed of the APC.
Plateau State’s list featured Akuns Sunday of the NDC, Sura John Sunday of the ADC, Ropshik Wungak of the PDP and Governor Caleb Mutfwang of the APC.
The release of the final list marks another stage in preparations for the 2027 general elections, although the omissions have left some political parties and candidates facing questions over their participation in the forthcoming polls.