The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to take a decision today on the eligibility of former minister Isa Pantami, former Kano deputy governor Nasiru Gawuna and Ogun politician Ladi Adebutu, among others, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC excluded candidates including former Communications Minister Isa Ali Pantami, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nominee in Gombe State, and Ladi Adebutu, the PDP’s candidate in Ogun State, when it published its final governorship list on October 10.
Other omitted candidates include Aminu Gwarzo of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano, Senator Danjuma Laah of the NDC in Kaduna and Sebastine Hon of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Benue.
INEC has said the omissions followed a September Supreme Court ruling in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party that upheld Sections 77(5) through 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Those provisions require political parties to submit membership registers to the commission before conducting valid primaries.
The commission said it applied the ruling while finalizing the governorship list, in line with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which requires public authorities to comply with decisions of superior courts.
Parties that failed to submit registers within the prescribed period were ineligible to sponsor candidates, INEC said.
The affected parties dispute that characterization.
The PDP and NDC have argued that they met the legal requirements and have petitioned the commission to restore their candidates’ names.
INEC gave parties until October 24 to notify it of candidates they believed had been wrongly omitted, under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act.
Officials said several petitions arrived before the deadline and were being reviewed by relevant departments ahead of Thursday’s commission meeting.
The dispute has already moved to court.
Gwarzo filed an originating summons in October asking the Federal High Court to declare his omission, and that of his running mate, unlawful and unconstitutional.
He is seeking an order compelling INEC to recognize him and his running mate as the NDC’s Kano governorship candidates and to amend and republish the list.
Adebutu, whose name appeared on INEC’s preliminary list in August but not on the final list, said the circumstances of his exclusion raised “serious questions.”
He said he remained a duly registered PDP member and that his documentation was submitted within the prescribed period.
The outcome carries particular significance for the PDP, which would be left without a listed governorship candidate in both Gombe and Ogun if the omissions stand.
Pantami’s name had appeared on INEC’s provisional list published August 29, but disappeared after he won a court-ordered rerun of the party’s Gombe primary on September 29.
Political analyst Professor Atah Pine said candidates who remain excluded could pursue legal redress, though the commission’s final decision is expected to clarify whether it views the petitions as raising administrative errors or substantive compliance failures.
The commission’s decision comes as the country prepares for the February 2027 general elections, with party primaries, candidate nominations and membership records emerging as early flashpoints in the electoral cycle.
