INEC Decides Final Fate Of Adebutu, Pantami, Gwarzo, Other Omitted Candidates Today
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will today Thursday finalise its decision on candidates nominated by some political parties whose names did not appear on the list of those it cleared to run in the 2027 elections.
The list released on October 10, had excluded Governorship Candidates like People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu.
Others affected included:
- Isa Ali Pantami, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, nominated by the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Gombe State
- Abdulsalam Gwarzo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Governorship Candidate for Kano State,
- Danjuma Laah, Kaduna NDC Governorship Candidate, and
- Sebastine Hon, Social Democratic Party (SDP) Governorship Candidate for Benue State.
The usual weekly meeting with top officials of the commission has been scheduled to hold today and the matter of the omitted candidates is slated to be on the front-burner of its agenda.
INEC had after the release of the list on October 10, explained that some candidates were excluded from the list because their political parties failed to submit membership registers as required by law.
The commission said the exclusion followed a September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgement affirming the constitutionality of Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which makes the submission of membership registers mandatory for political parties.
National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, had explained in a press statement that the Supreme Court, in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, upheld the provisions requiring parties to submit their membership registers before conducting valid primaries.
The commission explained that it applied the judgement while finalising the Governorship Candidates’ list in compliance with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires authorities to give effect to decisions of superior courts.
It added that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had already been published on September 12, 2026, 13 days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgement.
INEC said political parties that believed their candidates had been wrongly omitted could notify the commission in accordance with Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, saying the deadline for such notifications was October 24, 2026.
Following the confirmation of the submission of petitions by affected candidates and the promise by INEC to take a final decision on the matter by today, Thursday 29th, it is expected that since the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, has returned from an official trip to Gombe State and will be attending the meeting, coupled with the pressure mounted by political parties and candidates, the commission will no longer delay the matter.
INEC is expected to consider the petitions following the expiration of the statutory window for challenging nominations.
INEC had earlier indicated that aggrieved parties and other eligible persons could challenge candidates’ particulars within the prescribed period after publication.
The commission said it would examine the petitions in line with the applicable law and determine the appropriate action.
Gwarzo has sued INEC over the omission of his name and that of his Running Mate from the commission’s final list of candidates for the 2027 elections.
In an originating summons dated October 20, 2026, Gwarzo is asking the court to declare the omission of his name and that of his running mate, Rabiu Mustapha, unlawful, unconstitutional and a breach of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Among the eight reliefs sought, Gwarzo wants an order compelling INEC to recognise him and Mustapha as the NDC Governorship Candidates for Kano State in the 2027 general elections.
He is further asking the court to declare that the party complied with Sections 77(5) to 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which he said had been interpreted by the Supreme Court in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party.
He also wants INEC restrained from presenting the October 13 list as final without their names.
The exclusion of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, from the final list of Governorship Candidates released by INEC has been generating ripples across the state.
While Adebutu and his Running Mate’s names were omitted, all other PDP candidates for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate were cleared by INEC, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo.
Adebutu’s name initially appeared on the preliminary INEC list published in August 2026.
In a statement posted on his X and Facebook handles on Sunday, Adebutu said the circumstances surrounding his exclusion from the final list of Governorship Candidates released by INEC raised “serious questions”.
“We will pursue this matter through the appropriate channels and insist that due process is respected,” Adebutu declared in a statement he posted on X and Facebook on Sunday morning.
Adebutu said he remained a duly registered member of the PDP, having completed digital registration within the stipulated period.
He added that his membership card had been printed and verified.
“My documentation was duly submitted to INEC within the prescribed time. I have not at any point left the PDP, and my commitment to our great party remains unwavering,” he said.
