By Our Reporters
The race for the 2027 governorship elections has been thrown into disarray after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) left out three governorship candidates from its final list.
The affected governorship candidates are the PDP’s Ali Pantami (Gombe), the PDP’s Ladi Adebutu (Ogun), and the NDC’s Aminu Gwarzo (Kano).
The exclusion stems from a Supreme Court judgment restoring key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, which bar parties from fielding governorship candidates whose names were not properly captured in the membership register submitted to INEC.
Chinda Scales Through in Rivers
Not everyone suffered the same fate. In Rivers State, the APC’s Kingsley Chinda was cleared and listed as number five among 19 governorship candidates.
INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony signed the final lists, which were published on the commission’s website.
Gombe State has 16 governorship candidates on the list, Ogun has 13 — but no PDP governorship candidate appears in either state.
The commission released the list in line with the promise of its Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, who spoke at a press conference in Abuja early last week.
The Legal Trap
At the heart of the crisis is last month’s Supreme Court ruling in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, which revived Sections 77(5), (6), (7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026.
Those provisions effectively disqualify any governorship candidate whose name was not in the party’s membership register submitted to INEC before the deadline.
INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna had earlier hinted that some parties would be unable to field governorship candidates as a result.
Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, parties have 14 days to notify INEC in writing, with an affidavit, if a nominated governorship candidate’s name is missing.
Pantami: A Temporary Setback?
Pantami, who defected from the APC to the PDP in May and survived a court-ordered rerun primary, was on the provisional list published in August, but not on the final one.
He had earlier emerged as the PDP governorship candidate after dumping the APC on May 19. But Ahmed Mailantarki, one of the aspirants who sought the PDP ticket, challenged his victory in court.
A Federal High Court in Gombe nullified the election and ordered a fresh primary, which Pantami won again. He defeated Khamisu Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry in the rerun primary conducted on September 29.
But his biggest obstacle was the September 24 Supreme Court judgment.
Reacting to the omission of his name from the final list, Pantami, in a statement shared on his personal social media handles, assured his supporters that efforts were underway to resolve the issue.
The statement, signed by Professor Suleiman Mohammed Gombe, described the omission as a temporary challenge in the electoral process.
“The development has reportedly raised questions among supporters of the PDP and the Pantamiyya Movement across Gombe and beyond,” the statement said.
It urged supporters to remain calm and hopeful, insisting that the omission did not represent a final determination of the matter.
According to the camp, “its legal and liaison teams are engaging with relevant organs of the PDP and INEC to ensure compliance with the court order and correct the omission within the period allowed by law.”
NDC Fights Back in Kano
In Kano, NDC chairman Alhaji Hussaini Mairiga rejected any suggestion that Gwarzo’s governorship ticket was dead.
Speaking during a telephone interview, Mairiga insisted that the joint ticket of NDC’s governorship candidate and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, was duly processed, finalised, and submitted to the electoral body in strict accordance with all established electoral guidelines and statutory deadlines.
“Gwarzo’s name was submitted to INEC, and he and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, are the authentic flag bearers of the party,” Mairiga stated emphatically, reiterating the party’s unwavering backing for their chosen candidates.
Addressing the discrepancies observed in the newly published list, the chairman attributed the development to administrative friction rather than an official rejection by the commission.
He suggested that human error or a logistical miscommunication within the broader bureaucratic process likely triggered the anomaly.
“I believe there is a mix-up somewhere, and I do not think the list is from the commission, since we are sure that the name we submitted is what stands,” Mairiga added.
Ogun PDP Alleges Witch-Hunt
The Ogun PDP was more combative. Publicity Secretary Kayode Adebayo accused the ruling APC of pressuring INEC, insisting Adebutu’s membership card was printed, verified, and submitted on time.
In Ogun State, neither Adebutu nor his running mate, Kolapo-Sowunmi, appeared on the list, raising questions about the status of the PDP’s governorship ticket ahead of the poll.
Speculations have emerged that Adebutu’s name may not have been included in the party register submitted to INEC, as required under the provisions of the Electoral Act.
A statement by the Publicity Secretary of PDP in Ogun State, Kayode Adebayo, urged the public to be informed that the omission of its governorship candidate’s name in INEC’s list was as a result of the undue pressure mounted by the ruling party on INEC out of fear of losing the election to our party.
“We state emphatically that our governorship candidate, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, who has never left the Peoples Democratic Party at any time duly registered as a member of the party within the designated period of the digital registration with his party membership card printed, verified and submitted to INEC at the stipulated time,” Adebayo said.
“While we urge the good people of Ogun not to be perturbed nor distracted from our focus of voting out the APC, we remain resolute, unfazed and unwaveringly confident that our governorship candidate is marching straight to a decisive victory in the Ogun 2027 Governorship election.
“No amount of desperate manipulation, political witch-hunts, or calculated distractions can alter the mandate of the people of Ogun State who are overwhelmingly eager for true leadership and positive change.”
What Next?
With the final list now published, the affected parties have 14 days to formally notify INEC, with an affidavit, if a nominated governorship candidate’s name is missing — as provided under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026.
That window is now the last hope for the three governorship candidates, Pantami, Adebutu, and Gwarzo.
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