The Independent National Electoral Commission has given political parties whose candidates were omitted from its final list for the 2027 governorship elections until October 24 to notify it of the alleged errors.
The commission said the deadline was in line with Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which provides a 14-day window for political parties to notify it if they believe their candidates were wrongly excluded from the list.
INEC made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday evening by its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, amid controversy over the omission of several prominent politicians from the final list of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates.
Among those missing from the list are the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe states, Oladipupo Adebutu and Isa Ali Pantami, respectively.
Also omitted was the Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo, while the African Democratic Congress in Jigawa State protested the omission of its endorsed deputy governorship candidate, Aminu Ringim, and several other candidates.
The omissions have triggered protests and calls for clarification from affected political parties and candidates, with some threatening to pursue legal action to secure their inclusion.
