The Independent National Electoral Commission has cleared former Communications Minister Isa Pantami and Kano State candidate Abdulsalam Gwarzo to contest the 2027 elections, but left their eligibility tied to pending court cases.
It, however, rejected a similar petition from Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Ladi Adebutu.
INEC reviewed 69 petitions from political parties over candidates omitted from its final lists for governorship and State House of Assembly elections, according to an INEC official.
About 36 petitions succeeded, while the rest failed; the commission was still awaiting final figures from its legal department before issuing a formal statement.
INEC had excluded Pantami, Gwarzo and Adebutu from the final governorship list published October 10, citing parties’ failure to submit membership registers within the required period.
The decision followed a September 24 Supreme Court ruling that upheld Sections 77(5) through 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which make timely submission of membership registers mandatory for parties seeking to field candidates.
The commission said it had no objection to Pantami, the PDP’s candidate in Gombe State, or Gwarzo, the NDC’s candidate in Kano State, contesting the elections.
It, however, cautioned that ongoing litigation could alter their eligibility before the February 6, 2027, vote.
“Because of the court case, the court may rule otherwise. So his approval is subject to whatever the court finally decides,” the INEC source said of Gwarzo.
A court proceeding in Pantami’s case was expected Friday.
In another development, Adebutu’s petition for reinstatement failed.
He had argued that he remained a registered PDP member and complied with the party’s membership-registration requirements after being omitted from the Ogun State list.
