The publication of the final list of candidates for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has triggered protests and uncertainty among political parties following the omission of several governorship and legislative candidates.
Affected parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Action Alliance (AA), are engaging the electoral commission to resolve the discrepancies, with some threatening legal action if their candidates are not included.
Among the prominent politicians missing from the list are former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State, and Oladipupo Adebutu, the party’s candidate in Ogun State.
Other affected politicians include Aminu Gwarzo of the NDC in Kano State, former senator Danjuma Tella La’ah, the NDC governorship candidate in Kaduna State, and the Social Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Benue State, Prof. Sebastine Hon.
The omissions have been linked to different circumstances, including alleged technical errors, disputes over party nominations, internal leadership disagreements and questions surrounding candidates’ eligibility.
PDP Engages INEC Over Missing Candidates
The PDP has confirmed that it is engaging INEC to resolve the omission of its governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe states.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, said the leadership was treating the matter seriously and pursuing a resolution in accordance with the law and established electoral guidelines.
The party urged affected candidates, members and supporters to remain calm while discussions with the commission continued.
In Ogun State, Adebutu maintained that he remained a duly registered PDP member and had fulfilled the requirements for his candidacy.
He said he completed his digital membership registration within the stipulated period, obtained a verified membership card and submitted the necessary documentation to INEC before the deadline.
Adebutu also maintained that the primary election that produced him as the party’s candidate was conducted in the presence of INEC officials, who attended as observers. He urged his supporters to remain calm while the matter was being addressed.
In Gombe State, Pantami emerged as the PDP’s governorship candidate following a fresh primary election conducted on September 29, 2026, after a Federal High Court ruling necessitated another exercise.
His supporters have described the omission as a temporary setback and expressed hope that the issue would be resolved through the appropriate legal and administrative channels.
Action Alliance Threatens Legal Action
The Action Alliance has threatened to challenge the omission of some of its governorship and legislative candidates.
The party’s National Chairman and presidential candidate, Aare Adekunle Omo-Aje, said its legal team was preparing a formal complaint to INEC over the affected candidates.
The party identified its omitted 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 maintained that the party had complied with INEC’s guidelines and deadlines, expressing confidence that a review of the commission’s records would resolve the discrepancies.
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 candidates endorsed by the party were missing despite its claim that their names had been submitted in accordance with INEC’s guidelines.
He said the party would continue engaging the commission and explore legal options to address the matter.
NDC Cites Registration Discrepancy
In Kaduna State, the NDC attributed the omission of its governorship candidate, former senator Danjuma Tella La’ah, to a discrepancy in the registration of his name.
The party’s state chairman, Evangelist Mordecai Ibrahim, said network problems during the online registration process reportedly led to multiple registration attempts, resulting in confusion over the candidate’s name.
He said the party was working to establish that the different versions of the name referred to the same person.
However, the report noted that INEC had not publicly confirmed that a registration error was responsible for the omission. The NDC’s ticket had also been the subject of an earlier internal disagreement involving La’ah and lawyer Mohammed Sani Abbas.
Candidate’s Age Leads to Exclusion in Kwara
Not all omissions have been attributed to administrative errors or party disputes.
In Kwara State, the African Action Congress governorship candidate, Duwatsu Musa, was excluded because he had not attained the constitutionally prescribed minimum age of 35 for governorship candidates.
Musa, who said he was 34 and would turn 35 in February 2027, maintained that his exclusion would not prevent him from expressing his political views ahead of the election.
He also urged his supporters to remain calm while he considered his next political steps.
INEC Faces Calls for Clarification
The controversy has raised questions about the processes used to verify candidates’ nominations and the remedies available to parties whose candidates are missing from the published list.
While some parties believe the discrepancies can be resolved through administrative engagement, others are considering legal action to secure the inclusion of their candidates.
INEC’s final list, signed by the commission’s Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, contains the names of candidates cleared to contest the 2027 general elections. The commission’s official website also provides candidate lists for individual states and national elections.
As the affected parties pursue their complaints, the resolution of the omissions is likely to remain an important issue in preparations for the 2027 polls.