Omitted candidates: INEC upholds 41 of governorship petitions, rejects 28

By Omeiza Ajayi

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has upheld 41 of the 69 petitions filed against the final list of governorship candidates for the 2027 general election, while rejecting 28.

Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC) of the commission, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday night.

According to him, the petitions came from 12 political parties across 26 states.

He said, “The complaints concerned the omission of certain political parties, the wrongful inclusion of candidates of political parties whose names were not contained in the membership registers submitted by their political parties, and instances of alleged multiple nominations.”

Haruna said the commission examined the complaints against its records and the law.

“Following a review of the complaints, relevant records and applicable legal provisions, the Commission found merit in some representations and approved the inclusion of affected candidates and their political parties, while complaints found to be without merit were declined.

“In addition, some names that were wrongfully published in the final list were removed after verifying that their names were not on the register.

“The Commission also approved the removal of candidates whose nominations were found to be inconsistent with the applicable legal requirements,” the statement said.

Although INEC did not name any candidate or state, a source had earlier revealed that the commission’s meeting on Thursday to review complaints from parties and candidates left out of the lists had cleared a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, to contest the 2027 elections, subject to the outcome of pending court cases.

The source also said the petition by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, seeking a review of his exclusion from the list, did not succeed.

“Yes, Pantami has been cleared,” the source said when asked about the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State.

“He did not succeed,” the source said when asked about Adebutu.

On the State Houses of Assembly, the commission said the decisions affecting candidates sponsored by political parties “were informed by specific complaints received and determined in accordance with the law and the Commission’s established criteria.”

For those elections, INEC received 61 petitions from 11 political parties across 11 states. Twenty-five succeeded, while 36 failed.

The commission said the affected candidates, political parties and states “will be reflected in the updated list on the Commission’s website.”

“Once again, the Commission assures the public of its commitment to transparency and the credibility of the electoral process,” the statement said.

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