INEC Sets October 24 Deadline for Parties to Challenge Missing 2027 Governorship Candidates
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given political parties until October 24, 2026, to report cases where their candidates were wrongly omitted from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections.
The commission announced the deadline while explaining why several candidates, including former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Ali Pantami and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Oladipupo Adebutu, were missing from the published list.
Pantami emerged as the PDP’s governorship candidate in Gombe State following a court-ordered rerun primary, while Adebutu is the party’s candidate in Ogun State. Their absence from INEC’s final list has generated concerns among party members and supporters ahead of the elections scheduled for February 2027.
In its explanation, INEC said the omissions followed the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026, judgment affirming the constitutionality of provisions in the Electoral Act 2026 requiring political parties to submit their membership registers within the stipulated period.
According to the commission, parties that failed to comply with the requirements are ineligible to sponsor candidates for the affected elections.
INEC said it applied the Supreme Court’s decision when preparing the final list, stressing that it was required to comply with the judgments of superior courts.
The commission also clarified that political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly excluded have 14 days from the publication of the list to notify it of their complaints, with October 24 fixed as the deadline.
The development places additional pressure on affected political parties to establish that they complied with the relevant electoral requirements and take any necessary steps within the permitted timeframe.
With preparations for the 2027 general elections continuing, the dispute over candidate omissions could become another major test for political parties as they seek to secure their participation in the forthcoming governorship contests.
