Tension Mounts As Pantami, Adebutu, Others Await INEC Decision

Tension is mounting over the political future of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami; former Ogun State governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu; and other politicians whose names were omitted from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list of candidates for the 2027 elections, as they await the commission’s decision on their petitions.

The uncertainty follows the expiration of the October 24 deadline given by INEC for political parties and other affected persons to challenge the omission of candidates from the final list published on October 10.

Several days after the deadline elapsed, the commission had yet to publicly announce its decision on the complaints submitted by the affected parties, leaving the fate of the candidates uncertain.

There is speculation that INEC may consider the petitions at a meeting reportedly scheduled for October 29, although the commission has yet to officially confirm the development.

Pantami, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State, and Adebutu, the party’s candidate in Ogun State, are among the prominent politicians affected by the controversy.

Also affected is Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, whose name, alongside that of his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, was missing from the published list.

Other affected candidates include Senator Danjuma Laah, the NDC governorship candidate in Kaduna State; Sebastine Hon of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Benue State; and Esson Mairiga, a Nasarawa State House of Assembly member representing Lafia North.

The affected parties have challenged the omissions, with some describing them as administrative errors and insisting that they complied with the requirements for nominating their candidates.

The PDP has maintained that it fulfilled the necessary requirements for its candidates in Gombe and Ogun states. The party has also taken steps to challenge the omission of Pantami and Adebutu.

The NDC has equally protested the exclusion of Gwarzo and his running mate, while the SDP in Benue State has expressed optimism that INEC would address the omission of Hon’s name.

INEC had earlier explained that the exclusion of Pantami and Adebutu was linked to the Supreme Court judgment upholding provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 requiring political parties to submit their membership registers within the stipulated period.

The commission said the affected parties were ineligible to sponsor candidates because they failed to comply with the membership register requirements under Sections 77(5)–(7) of the Act. The parties, however, have disputed the circumstances surrounding the omissions.

With the deadline for complaints now past, attention has shifted to INEC’s handling of the petitions and whether its eventual decision will resolve the controversy or prompt further legal action.

Efforts to obtain INEC’s reaction to the development were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. Calls and text messages sent to officials in the commission’s media department had yet to receive a response.