The Independent National Electoral Commission has approved 41 out of 69 governorship petitions and 25 out of 61 State Houses of Assembly petitions following its review of complaints arising from the final candidate lists published on October 10, 2026.
In a statement issued on Thursday by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, the Commission said the review covered complaints concerning the omission of certain political parties, the wrongful inclusion of candidates whose names were not in the membership registers submitted by their parties, and allegations of multiple nominations.
“Following a review of the complaints, relevant records and applicable legal provisions, the Commission found merit in some representations and approved the inclusion of affected candidates and their political parties, while complaints found to be without merit were declined,” the statement read.
For the governorship election, 69 petitions were received from 12 political parties across 26 states. Forty-one succeeded while 28 failed. For the State Houses of Assembly, 61 petitions came from 11 political parties across 11 states. Twenty-five succeeded while 36 failed.
The Commission said it also removed some names that had been wrongfully published in the final list. “In addition, some names that were wrongfully published in the final list were removed after verifying that their names were not on the register,” Haruna said.
Beyond inclusions and removals, the Commission approved the removal of candidates whose nominations were found to be inconsistent with applicable legal requirements. It said decisions affecting State Houses of Assembly candidates were informed by specific complaints received and determined in line with the law and its established criteria.
“The affected candidates, political parties and states will be reflected in the updated list on the Commission’s website,” the statement added.
The review follows the Commission’s earlier press statement of October 13, 2026, and the publication of the final lists of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates on October 10.
“Once again, the Commission assures the public of its commitment to transparency and the credibility of the electoral process,” Haruna said.
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