The Independent National Electoral Commission has removed the names of certain candidates from its officially published list for the 2027 general elections, weeks after initially clearing them to contest governorship and state house of assembly seats. The development has thrown the status of several high-profile political figures into uncertainty, with some granted conditional clearance and others left firmly off the roster.
INEC published its first list of cleared candidates on 10 October 2026, covering governorship and state assembly races across the country. The absence of several prominent names immediately drew scrutiny. Among those missing were Isa Ali Pantami, the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Gombe State; Ladi Adebutu, the PDP’s governorship candidate in Ogun State; and Abdulsalam Gwarzo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State. The omissions were not accidental — they reflected a deliberate application of a recent court ruling that has reshaped how parties qualify to field candidates.
The legal basis for the exclusions traces back to a Supreme Court judgement delivered on 24 September 2026, which upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026. That provision makes the submission of party membership registers a mandatory condition for any political party wishing to field candidates in an election. INEC applied the ruling directly when finalising its list, citing Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which obliges all authorities in Nigeria to give effect to decisions handed down by superior courts. The commission had no discretion to ignore the ruling, regardless of the political consequences.
Parties that believed their candidates had been wrongly excluded were given a formal avenue to challenge the omissions. Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, they were required to notify INEC in writing, with a deadline set for 24 October 2026. The commission convened a dedicated meeting to review the petitions received, and the outcomes varied significantly depending on the case made by each party and the legal circumstances surrounding each candidate.
Mohammed Haruna, Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, confirmed that Pantami and Gwarzo were among those granted clearance to proceed following the review. Their participation in the 2027 elections is not unconditional, however — it remains subject to the outcomes of ongoing court cases. Haruna also confirmed that INEC received a specific number of petitions from parties and that a defined number cleared the review process, though the commission had not released the full figures publicly at the time of reporting. Separately, sources indicated that Adebutu did not receive the same clearance extended to Pantami and Gwarzo, though a formal statement from INEC on his case was expected.
Haruna further confirmed that some names which appeared on the 10 October list have since been delisted, without specifying the total number affected. That detail matters: it means the commission is not only adding candidates back through the petition process but also removing others who were initially listed. The net effect is a roster that continues to shift as legal proceedings advance and administrative reviews conclude. For voters, parties and candidates alike, the picture heading into 2027 remains fluid — shaped as much by courtroom decisions as by the ballot box.