By Shakirat Lawal.
Political parties and their candidates have begun moves to resolve discrepancies in the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, following the omission of several governorship and legislative candidates across the country.
The development has triggered protests and concerns among affected parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Action Alliance (AA).
While some parties have attributed the omissions to administrative or technical errors, others are grappling with internal leadership disputes, nomination controversies and pending court cases. The Action Alliance has threatened legal action to secure the inclusion of its affected candidates.
Among the prominent politicians omitted from the list are former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami, the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State, and the party’s candidate in Ogun State, Oladipupo Adebutu.
Other affected candidates include Aminu Gwarzo of the NDC in Kano State, former senator Danjuma Tella La’ah in Kaduna State and the SDP governorship candidate in Benue State, Professor Sebastine Hon (SAN).
The affected candidates and their supporters have been urged to remain calm as political parties engage INEC and explore legal options to resolve the disputes.
PDP Engages INEC Over Ogun, Gombe Candidates
The PDP has confirmed that it is engaging INEC over the omission of its governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe states.
In a statement on Sunday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, said discussions were ongoing to resolve the matter in accordance with the law and established electoral guidelines.
The party urged its affected candidates, members and supporters to remain calm and avoid actions that could undermine the ongoing discussions.
INEC’s published lists contained 13 governorship candidates in Ogun State and 16 in Gombe State, but neither list included a PDP candidate.
Adebutu maintained that he remained a duly registered member of the PDP and had fulfilled the requirements for his candidacy. He said he completed his digital membership registration within the stipulated period and that his membership card was printed and verified before the relevant documents were submitted to INEC.
He also said the primary election that produced him as the party’s candidate was conducted in the presence of INEC officials, who attended as observers.
Adebutu alleged that the Ogun State PDP had faced undue pressure from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He questioned why his name was missing from the governorship list while the party’s candidates for legislative seats were included.
However, Kayode Odunaro, media aide to the APC governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Adeola, dismissed the allegation, arguing that the PDP should take responsibility if it failed to comply with INEC’s administrative procedures and electoral requirements.
In Gombe State, Pantami’s supporters also appealed for calm, describing the omission as a temporary setback that could be resolved within the period permitted by law.
Pantami emerged as the PDP governorship candidate following a fresh primary election held on September 29, 2026, after a Federal High Court order necessitated another exercise.
The spokesperson for the Pantamiyya Movement, Professor Suleiman Mohammed, said the candidate’s legal and liaison teams were engaging relevant party organs and INEC to address the omission.
NDC Protests Omission of Kano Candidate
The NDC in Kano State has vowed to engage INEC over the omission of its governorship candidate, Aminu Gwarzo, and his running mate, Mustapha Kwankwaso, from the final list.
The party’s state chairman, Hussaini Mairiga, said the candidates’ names were submitted in line with the relevant guidelines and statutory deadlines.
Mairiga attributed the omission to a possible administrative mix-up, insisting that it did not invalidate the party’s governorship ticket.
The party’s Public Relations Officer, Yusif Fasaha, also blamed the development on a technical error, claiming that INEC had assured the party that the issue would be rectified.
However, INEC had not publicly confirmed that a computer error was responsible for the omission at the time of the report.
Action Alliance Threatens Legal Action
The Action Alliance has threatened to challenge the omission of some of its governorship and legislative candidates, describing the development as a possible technical error.
The party’s National Chairman and presidential candidate, Aare Adekunle Omo-Aje, said its legal team was preparing a formal complaint to INEC.
The party identified its affected governorship candidates as Eke Israel in Rivers State, Titilola-Sodo Dayo in Oyo State, Abdullah-Bukharin in Nasarawa State and Zubairu Musa in Bauchi State.
Omo-Aje said the party would continue to pursue the matter until the discrepancies were resolved, urging INEC to strengthen its verification procedures before publishing final candidates’ lists.
ADC Protests Omission in Jigawa
In Jigawa State, the ADC protested the omission of its endorsed deputy governorship candidate, Aminu Ringim, whose name was reportedly replaced by Musa Balarabe on the published list.
The party’s Deputy State Chairman, Nuraddeen Jidawa, said Ringim and about seven other party-endorsed candidates were missing despite the party’s claim that their names had been submitted in accordance with INEC’s guidelines.
Jidawa said the party would continue to engage the commission through the appropriate legal channels to resolve the matter.
In Kaduna State, the NDC governorship candidate and former senator, Danjuma Tella La’ah, was also missing from the list amid an unresolved dispute over the party’s ticket.
The party’s state chairman, Evangelist Mordecai Ibrahim, attributed the omission to discrepancies in the registration of La’ah’s name, which he said arose from network problems during the online registration process.
The omission has also renewed attention on an earlier disagreement within the party over whether La’ah or lawyer Mohammed Abbas should represent the NDC in the Kaduna governorship election.
Other Parties Raise Concerns
In Benue State, the SDP’s governorship candidate, Professor Sebastine Hon (SAN), was missing from INEC’s list of 13 candidates.
The party’s state chairman, Idoko Itodo, described the omission as a possible error and said the party would take up the matter with the commission.
In Bauchi State, the SDP said it would convene an emergency meeting to discuss the omission of some candidates, including its governorship candidate.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) also appealed for calm following the omission of its Bauchi governorship candidate, Ambassador Shuaibu Ahmed. The party said it was taking steps to engage INEC and other relevant authorities.
In Plateau State, PDP governorship aspirant Sunday Biggs was missing from the list, while Ropshik Wungak appeared as the party’s candidate, with Kim Dung listed as his running mate.
A PDP official attributed the development to the leadership dispute between factions associated with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Tanimu Turaki, a matter reportedly pending before the Court of Appeal.
In Nasarawa State, the Accord Party’s governorship candidate, Shuaibu Kubi, was not listed. Bukhari Nata’ala of the Action Alliance, whose name had appeared on an earlier list, was also missing from the final publication.
Party Ticket Disputes in Lagos, Oyo
In Lagos State, the controversy has centred on party nominations and the replacement of candidates, particularly within the APC.
In Agege Constituencies I and II, Ganiyu Egunjobi and Azeez Ninalowo reportedly won the APC primaries but were subsequently dropped from the party’s final tickets. Both later defected to the Allied Peoples Movement, while their replacements appeared on INEC’s final list.
The case of Noheem Adams, the Lagos State House of Assembly Majority Leader, also attracted attention. Adams reportedly won the APC primary for Eti-Osa Constituency I with 7,638 votes, against Saheed Bankole’s 1,225, but was subsequently replaced by Bankole on the final list.
In Oyo State, the SDP candidate, Mogaji Agboola, was omitted after the party reportedly replaced its earlier candidate, Michael Okunlade.
Meanwhile, the NDC in Borno State said several of its candidates, particularly those contesting State House of Assembly seats, were missing from the list. The party said it was still identifying the affected candidates before deciding on its response.
Kwara Candidate Excluded Over Age
In Kwara State, the African Action Congress (AAC) governorship candidate, Duwatsu Musa, was excluded after INEC determined that he had not attained the constitutionally prescribed minimum age of 35 for governorship candidates.
Musa confirmed that he was 34 and would turn 35 in February 2027.
Section 177(b) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, stipulates that a person must have attained the age of 35 to qualify for election as governor.
Reacting to his exclusion, Musa said the decision would not stop him from expressing his political views ahead of the election. He added that he would announce the candidate he and his supporters intended to back, as well as their political direction.
The controversy surrounding INEC’s final list has raised concerns about candidate eligibility, party nomination procedures and the remedies available to affected parties.
As political parties seek clarification and possible corrections, the unresolved disputes could trigger further litigation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
