NIGERIA: The Independent National Electoral Commission’s release of the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections has triggered protests and expressions of relief across political camps, following the omission of prominent opposition figures, including former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, and Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu.
Also missing from the list is Aminu Gwarzo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State and a former deputy governor of the state.
While the Ogun PDP accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of mounting pressure on INEC to exclude Adebutu, Pantami’s camp urged supporters to remain calm, describing the development as a temporary challenge. Gwarzo was yet to react as of the time of filing this report, Sunday PUNCH reports.
Meanwhile, supporters of politicians whose candidacies had come under scrutiny following a recent Supreme Court judgment expressed relief after their names appeared on the electoral commission’s list.
INEC published the names of candidates contesting the presidential, governorship and National Assembly elections on its website on Saturday, marking a significant milestone in preparations for the 2027 general elections.
A review of the list by Sunday PUNCH showed that 18 presidential candidates had been listed for the election.
They include 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, listed under the Allied Peoples Movement.
The publication 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, the absence of several prominent aspirants and candidates has raised questions about the status of their nominations and the implications of recent legal disputes over party primaries and membership requirements.
Among those missing are Pantami, the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State; Adebutu, the party’s governorship candidate in Ogun; his running mate, Alhaja Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo; and the Accord Party’s Ogun governorship candidate, Alhaji Olaniyi Agbongboakala.
It was not immediately clear whether the omissions were directly connected to the Supreme Court judgment or other issues relating to the affected candidates’ nominations.
Pantami’s omission raises questions
In Gombe State, Pantami’s absence from the list came despite his emergence as the PDP’s governorship candidate in a fresh primary conducted after a court invalidated his earlier nomination.
The Federal High Court sitting in Gombe had nullified Pantami’s initial emergence and ordered the PDP to conduct another primary following a suit filed by Usman Garry.
Garry had argued that the party failed to conduct a valid governorship primary before announcing Pantami as its candidate on June 26, 2026.
He maintained that the PDP’s adoption of Pantami without a properly conducted primary violated the party’s guidelines and relevant electoral laws.
In her judgment, Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed directed the party to conduct a fresh primary in accordance with its guidelines and applicable electoral laws.
Following the ruling, the PDP conducted a rerun primary on Tuesday across the 114 wards in Gombe State’s 11 local government areas.
Pantami won the exercise 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 in the rerun, neither Pantami nor the PDP appeared on INEC’s published list of governorship candidates for Gombe State.
Reacting to the development, the spokesperson for the Pantamiyya Movement, Professor Suleiman Mohammed, appealed to supporters to remain calm.
In a statement shared on Pantami’s Facebook account, Mohammed described the omission as a temporary setback rather than a final determination of the former minister’s political future.
“This is a temporary challenge and a normal part of the electoral process, not a final determination, in sha Allah,” the statement read.
However, the statement did not disclose the legal or administrative measures Pantami and the PDP intended to pursue to address the omission.
The development has left questions over the PDP’s participation in the Gombe governorship election, particularly after the party conducted a fresh primary following the court’s directive.
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 the state.
Ogun PDP alleges APC pressure
In Ogun State, the PDP accused the APC of putting undue pressure on INEC to exclude Adebutu from the final list, alleging that the ruling party feared losing the governorship election.
The allegation was contained in a statement issued by the PDP’s state Publicity Secretary, Kayode Adebayo, who urged residents and party supporters not to panic over the omission.
The party insisted that Adebutu remained its duly nominated candidate and expressed confidence that INEC would eventually publish his name.
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 the commission before the deadline.
The party maintained that the omission would not deter its preparations 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 was made by the PDP, and no response from the APC or INEC was contained in the report.
INEC’s published list included 13 governorship candidates for Ogun State. They included 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’s governorship candidate, was also absent.
Chinda, Omo-Agege, Ochei make the list
While some candidates were missing, others whose nominations had attracted attention following the Supreme Court’s judgment on political party membership registers and candidate selection appeared on the list.
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.
The Court of Appeal had earlier invalidated the provisions following a suit filed by the Zenith Labour Party challenging their constitutionality.
Under the restored provisions, only members whose names appear in a political party’s 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 stipulated period prevents a party from fielding candidates. Section 84(2) also provides for candidate nominations through direct primaries or consensus.
The judgment prompted questions about politicians who changed parties shortly before their respective primaries, including Kingsley Chinda, Ovie Omo-Agege and Victor Ochei.
However, the Supreme Court did not expressly disqualify the politicians. The validity of their individual nominations therefore depends on whether the relevant legal requirements were satisfied.
Chinda, listed as the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, appeared on the list. Omo-Agege, a former Deputy Senate President contesting the Delta Central senatorial district under the NDC, was also included.
Ochei, a former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, was listed as the NDC candidate for the Delta North senatorial district.
Other governorship candidates
The published list also provides details of candidates expected to contest governorship elections across the 26 states covered by the report.
In Kwara State, Zakari Mohammed is 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 is 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 include Kalu Agu of the ADC, Ndubuisi Ogah of the NDC, Kelechi Anosike of the PDP and Eric Chinemeucheya of the APC.
Adamawa’s list includes 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 is listed for the ADC, Michael Eyong for the NDC, Sunday Akpan for the PDP and Umo Eno for the APC.
Benue State’s candidates include 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 is 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 include 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 includes 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 is listed for the ADC, Bawa Usman for the PDP and Sani Uba for the APC.
Kano State’s list includes Ibrahim Amin of the ADC, Yusuf Kabir of the APC and Abacha Sani of the PDP.
In Oyo State, Yusuf Adebola is listed for the NDC, Adegoke Adegboyega for the ADC, Gbolarumi Ola for the PDP and Senator Alli Sharafadeen Abiodun for the APC.
Sokoto State’s candidates include Aliyu Ahmad of the NDC, Manir Dan’iya of the ADC, Abdullahi Sokoto Abubakar of the PDP and Aliyu Ahmed of the APC.
In Plateau State, Akuns Sunday is listed for the NDC, Sura John Sunday for the ADC, Ropshik Wungak for the PDP and Governor Caleb Mutfwang for the APC.
