INEC Explains Omission Of 2027 Governorship Candidates And Gives October 24 Deadline For Correction

The Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), has officially explained why the names of several prominent governorship candidates were missing from the final list published for the 2027 general elections.

The national electoral body released its official explanation on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, through a formal press statement issued at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

According to the electoral umpire, the affected political parties failed to follow the strict rules of the law by not submitting their official registers of members before holding primary elections.

The official explanation comes after widespread panic, public protests, and political tension broke out across several states following the omission of big political figures from the final list.

Among the notable candidates whose names were missing from the published list are Ladi Adebutu of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Isa Ali Pantami of the PDP in Gombe State, and Aminu Gwarzo of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in Kano State.

Explaining the exact legal basis for leaving out candidates whose political parties broke primary election rules, the commission noted that it acted strictly in line with recent court directives and the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Detailing the recent Supreme Court judgment that guided its final decision, the official INEC statement explained: “SC/CV/495/2026, which upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026. The provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers to the commission within the stipulated period. The court also upheld INEC’s timetable requiring parties to submit the registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.”

The commission made it clear that any political party that failed to send its full list of registered members to INEC headquarters within those fixed dates lost the legal right to sponsor candidates for the election.

Reaffirming its commitment to obeying court judgments without showing favor to any political group, the commission added: “INEC said it applied the judgment in finalising the governorship candidates’ list in accordance with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.”

However, the electoral commission offered a window of hope to political parties that believe their candidates were left out by mistake, pointing out that electoral laws allow a short period for administrative corrections.

Explaining the legal process and setting a strict deadline for political parties to send in their official complaints, the commission stated:“Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly left off the list have 14 days from the date of publication to notify the Commission. The deadline is 24th October, 2026.”

Reassuring voters, international observers, and civil society groups that the electoral body will remain fair to all political participants, the commission concluded its message by promising total fairness.

Promising equal treatment for all registered political organizations across the country, the statement noted: “The commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process.”

Legal teams representing the affected political parties are currently gathering documents to submit their formal notifications before the October 24 deadline.