- Adebutu Alleges APC Pressure On INEC, Vows Not To Abandon Guber Race
- Kwankwasiyya Calls For Calm, Demands Answers From INEC
- PDP: We Complied With Relevant Membership Registration, Submission Requirements
A fresh political storm has erupted ahead of the 2027 governorship elections following the exclusion of prominent opposition candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) from the final lists published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The affected politicians are former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State; Oladipupo Adebutu, the party’s candidate in Ogun State; and Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo of the NDC in Kano State.
Their exclusion has thrown the affected parties into fresh uncertainty, raised questions about the fate of their governorship tickets and intensified scrutiny of the legal and administrative procedures governing candidates’ nominations ahead of the February 6, 2027 governorship elections.
TheMatrix Newspaper reports that INEC’s final lists, published on Saturday, October 10, showed 13 governorship candidates in Ogun State and 16 in Gombe State, with no PDP candidate appearing in either state. In Kano, Gwarzo and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, were also missing from the list containing candidates from 17 political parties.
The development has placed the electoral commission’s candidate-verification process under intense public scrutiny, even as the affected parties face the challenge of resolving the disputes surrounding their nominations within the framework of the law.
Adebutu’s exclusion sparks controversy
In Ogun State, the omission of Adebutu and his running mate has reignited controversy over the PDP’s preparations for the election and the eligibility of its candidate.
The dispute centres partly on allegations that Adebutu’s name was missing from the PDP membership register submitted to INEC, raising questions about whether he satisfied the statutory requirements for participation in the party’s nomination process.
The Ogun PDP has, however, rejected the allegations, insisting that Adebutu is a duly registered member and that the party complied with the relevant membership-registration and submission requirements.
The commission’s published list did not provide a specific explanation for the omission, leaving the precise administrative or legal basis for excluding the PDP ticket unclear.
Adebutu’s absence is particularly significant because it leaves the PDP without a listed governorship candidate in Ogun, a state where the party is seeking to remain competitive against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political parties.
The exclusion has also triggered questions about the status of the party’s running mate and the steps available to the PDP to challenge the development.
The Ogun PDP has maintained that its candidate met the relevant requirements.
Reacting, Adebutu insisted that he remains a duly registered member of the party.
Adebutu, who expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved, urged his supporters and residents of the state to remain calm, assuring them that the party was pursuing appropriate steps to address the development.
In a statement addressed to the people of Ogun State, Adebutu maintained that he completed his digital registration with the PDP within the stipulated period, adding that his membership card was printed and verified before the relevant documentation was submitted to INEC.
He also insisted that he had neither defected from the PDP nor abandoned his commitment to the party.
According to him, the governorship primary that produced him as the PDP candidate was conducted in the presence of INEC officials, who attended as observers, while relevant documents were presented for verification, certification and confirmation.
The PDP chieftain said these records should be considered in resolving the circumstances surrounding his omission from the commission’s published list.
The development, he noted, had raised concerns within the Ogun State PDP, particularly over what the party described as undue pressure allegedly mounted on INEC by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Adebutu questioned why his name was missing from the governorship candidates’ list when, according to him, other PDP candidates contesting for seats in the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate had been included in the published lists.
He said the party would pursue the matter through the appropriate channels, insisting that due process must be respected.
The PDP candidate also alleged that his party and supporters had faced a series of challenges in their political activities, including restrictions on campaign billboards, attacks at campaign grounds and harassment of members.
Despite these alleged incidents, Adebutu said the party remained committed to peaceful political participation and would not allow intimidation to undermine the right of Ogun residents to choose their preferred leaders.
He urged PDP members and supporters to exercise restraint while the party worked to resolve the issue, expressing confidence that the necessary steps would produce a favourable resolution.
“I remain confident that it will be resolved, and I assure you that I will not abandon the struggle to bring the leadership and relief our people deserve,” he said.
Adebutu further maintained that the political contest was about more than his personal ambition, describing it as a struggle for the dignity, progress and future of Ogun State.
“Our cause is bigger than any individual. It is about the dignity of our people, the progress of our state and the right of Ogun people to determine our own future,” he stated.
Reaffirming his campaign slogan, “Ogun for Ogun,” the PDP candidate said his political agenda remained focused on leadership rooted in the interests of the people and responsive to their needs.
“No distraction will make us abandon that commitment,” he declared.
Pantami’s omission deepens Gombe crisis
In Gombe State, the exclusion of Pantami has compounded the PDP’s difficulties following a legal dispute over the process that produced him as the party’s governorship candidate.
Pantami, who served as Minister of Communications and Digital Economy under former President Muhammadu Buhari, emerged from a fresh PDP governorship primary after an earlier nomination process was challenged in court.
The Federal High Court in Gombe had nullified the party’s initial primary, following legal challenges by other aspirants, including Khamisu Mailantarki and Aliyu Usman Garry. The court directed the party to conduct a fresh primary in accordance with its guidelines and the applicable electoral laws.
Pantami subsequently won the rerun primary with 2,024 votes, defeating Mailantarki, who scored 389 votes, and Garry, who polled 112 votes.
Despite that victory, his name and the PDP’s governorship ticket were absent from INEC’s final list for Gombe.
The omission has raised fresh questions about the relationship between winning a party primary and satisfying all statutory conditions required for a candidate to appear on the commission’s final list.
Pantami’s camp has urged supporters to remain calm, describing the development as a temporary challenge rather than a final determination of his political future.
The spokesperson for the Pantamiyya Movement, Professor Suleiman Mohammed, said the camp was aware of the omission but remained hopeful that the matter would be resolved.
The Gombe dispute therefore presents the PDP with two linked challenges: the judicial controversy surrounding the nomination process and the candidate’s subsequent absence from INEC’s published list. <
NDC cries foul, alleges interference
In Kano, the NDC has rejected the omission of Gwarzo and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, from INEC’s final list, raising the temperature in an already charged political atmosphere.
Gwarzo, a former deputy governor of Kano State, emerged as the NDC’s governorship candidate alongside Mustapha, the son of former Kano governor and NDC presidential running mate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
The party’s Kano State chairman, Hussaini Mairiga, expressed disappointment over the development, insisting that the party had fulfilled the requirements for participation in the election.
Mairiga alleged external interference in the electoral process and warned against any attempt to undermine the party’s participation in the contest.
He vowed that the NDC would pursue every available lawful means to secure the restoration of its candidates’ names, maintaining that the people of Kano, rather than external forces, should determine the outcome of the election.
The party also accused the Federal Government of allegedly mounting pressure on INEC to frustrate its chances in Kano. The allegation remains a claim by the opposition party and has not been independently established.
Similarly, the Kwankwasiyya Movement has appealed to its members and supporters to remain calm.
The movement called on the NDC leadership to urgently explore available administrative and legal remedies within the time stipulated by law, expressing confidence that the matter could be addressed through the appropriate channels.
In a statement dated October 11, 2026, and signed by its spokesperson, Habibu Mohammed, the movement acknowledged the concerns generated by the omission but cautioned supporters against speculation, confrontation and the spread of unverified information.
“We therefore appeal to everyone to remain calm, exercise restraint and refrain from speculation while the matter is being addressed through the appropriate administrative and legal channels,” the statement read.
The movement maintained that Gwarzo registered with the NDC within the stipulated period, adding that it was unaware of any court case or judicial order cited as the basis for his exclusion from INEC’s final list.
It consequently called on the electoral commission to explain the circumstances surrounding the omission and ensure that the issue received the necessary attention.
“These circumstances make it imperative for INEC to provide a clear explanation and ensure that the matter receives the attention it deserves,” the statement added.
The group also drew attention to Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which it said provides a 14-day window for a political party to notify INEC in writing, accompanied by an affidavit, where the name of its nominated candidate is missing.
It urged the NDC and the affected candidates’ legal representatives to examine the provision and determine the appropriate steps to seek rectification, where applicable.
The movement further advised the party to assemble relevant documentary evidence, including proof of timely registration, nomination records, submitted particulars and official acknowledgements, to support its position.
“Our understanding is that our candidate complied with the stipulated party-registration requirements. If the records confirm this position and the omission is administrative, we expect the Commission to address the matter transparently and take any corrective action permitted by law,” the statement said.
However, the movement stressed that it would not prejudge INEC’s formal response or the outcome of any legal proceedings, insisting that the matter should be determined through due process and verifiable evidence.
It also urged supporters to continue their political activities peacefully and lawfully, warning against actions that could escalate tensions while efforts to resolve the dispute were ongoing.
The group called on INEC to clarify the circumstances surrounding the omission without unnecessary delay and urged the NDC leadership to pursue all available remedies within the prescribed period.
“The Kwankwasiyya Movement remains committed to constitutional democracy, electoral justice and respect for the rule of law,” the statement added.
The movement said it would continue to monitor developments and communicate verified information to its members and supporters as the matter unfolds.
Supreme Court ruling casts long shadow
The controversy surrounding the missing candidates comes weeks after the Supreme Court restored key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing political party membership registers and the selection of candidates for elective offices.
In its September 24 judgment, the apex court reinstated provisions including Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7), which concern the submission of party membership registers to INEC and eligibility to participate in party primaries.
The provisions have attracted renewed attention because compliance with membership-register requirements can affect whether aspirants are eligible to participate in nomination exercises.
The legal implications are particularly significant for parties facing disputes over the registration of their members, the submission of registers and the validity of their primaries.
However, the absence of a candidate’s name from INEC’s published list does not, by itself, establish the precise reason for the omission. In the cases involving Adebutu, Pantami and Gwarzo, the commission’s published documents did not provide individual explanations for the exclusions.
The legal disputes surrounding the candidates also differ. Pantami’s nomination has been affected by a court-ordered rerun primary, while Adebutu’s omission has been linked in reports to questions over his membership documentation. In Kano, the NDC has challenged the omission and reported that INEC promised to correct what it described as a technical error.
The distinctions will be important in determining the remedies available to each party and whether the affected candidates can be restored to the lists.
What the law says about missing names
Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 provides a procedure for political parties whose candidates’ names are missing from INEC’s published lists.
Under the provision, a registered political party that discovers the omission must notify the commission in writing, with the notification signed by its national chairman and secretary and supported by an affidavit, within 14 days of publication.
The law also states that failure to submit the required notification within the stipulated period shall not, by itself, be a ground for invalidating the election.
The provision gives the affected parties a defined procedure to follow, but it does not automatically guarantee that a missing candidate’s name will be restored. The circumstances of each case and compliance with the applicable legal requirements remain significant.
The published list is therefore not merely an administrative document. It is a critical part of the electoral process, and any dispute over a candidate’s inclusion can have far-reaching consequences for the party, the aspirant and voters who intend to support that candidate.
Opposition parties face crucial test
The omissions have exposed the PDP and NDC to a difficult test as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 elections.
For the PDP, the absence of its governorship tickets in Ogun and Gombe raises immediate questions about its ability to present candidates in the two states unless the disputes are resolved through the appropriate legal or administrative channels.
For the NDC, Gwarzo’s omission threatens to disrupt its preparations in Kano, although the party says INEC has promised to correct the problem.
The developments also place the spotlight on INEC’s responsibility to administer the electoral process transparently, explain disputed decisions and ensure that the statutory rules are applied consistently.
At the same time, the controversy underscores the responsibility of political parties to comply with electoral laws, maintain accurate membership records and conduct nomination exercises in accordance with the applicable procedures.
With the February 6, 2027 governorship elections approaching, the affected parties must now determine how best to address the omissions within the law.
