The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has excluded several prominent politicians from its final list of governorship candidates for the February 6, 2027 elections, raising fresh concerns over political party membership records and nomination procedures.
Among those affected are the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe states, Ladi Adebutu and former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami.
The omissions followed a Supreme Court ruling that restored provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing political party membership registers and participation in party primaries.
Under the restored provisions, only party members whose names appear on membership registers submitted to INEC at least 21 days before a primary, congress or convention are eligible to participate in such exercises. Political parties that fail to submit their registers within the stipulated period may also be barred from presenting candidates.
In Ogun State, Adebutu’s exclusion has been linked to questions surrounding his name on the PDP membership register submitted to INEC. Some groups had raised concerns over his membership status, but the Ogun PDP rejected the allegations, insisting that Adebutu was a registered member and that the party complied with the relevant requirements.
In Gombe State, Pantami’s omission followed a series of legal disputes over the process that produced him as the PDP’s governorship candidate.
A Federal High Court in Gombe had nullified his initial emergence and ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary. Pantami subsequently won the rerun election held on September 29, 2026, but his name was still missing from INEC’s final list.
The commission’s published documents did not expressly state the reasons for excluding the two candidates and their running mates. However, the omissions have drawn attention to the legal requirements surrounding party membership records and candidate nomination.
INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, had earlier warned that political parties that failed to comply with the membership-register provisions would not be permitted to field affected candidates or substitute them.
The Electoral Act 2026 also provides a procedure for addressing missing candidates’ names. Under Section 32(2), a political party has 14 days to notify INEC in writing, supported by an affidavit, if the name of a nominated candidate is missing.
The development has left the PDP without listed governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe in the commission’s published final list, while affected parties and candidates face pressure to determine what legal options remain ahead of the elections.
