The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reportedly cleared former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, to contest the 2027 general elections, subject to the outcome of pending court cases.
The commission, however, turned down a petition by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, who had asked for a review of his exclusion from the final list of candidates.
Daily Trust, quoting an unnamed source on Thursday, reported that INEC reached the decision at a meeting that reviewed complaints from political parties over the omission of their candidates from lists released ahead of the elections.
The commission was said to have received no fewer than 69 petitions on governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates. About 36 were approved, while the rest were unsuccessful.
INEC’s legal department was still compiling the final figures and preparing a formal statement on the outcome of the review.
Legal battles continue
Pantami and Gwarzo are still facing legal proceedings that could affect the final determination of their eligibility.
Adebutu’s bid to reverse his exclusion from the Ogun State governorship candidates’ list was unsuccessful.
Why candidates were excluded
The controversy followed INEC’s publication of its candidate lists ahead of the 2027 general elections. The commission blamed the omissions on alleged failures by the affected parties to comply with the Electoral Act, 2026, particularly the requirement to submit their membership registers.
INEC said its position was informed by a September 24, 2026 Supreme Court judgment affirming the constitutionality of Section 77(5) to (7) of the Electoral Act, which makes submission of party membership registers mandatory.
