INEC lists spark fresh 2027 election battles

• PDP, NDC battle omissions as APC, ADC escape gov’ship axe •Court ruling threatens APC Reps ticket already published by INEC • AbdulRazaq, Mustapha set for Kwara Senate showdown • Rival claims deepen Plateau crisis

From **Fred Itua, Ndubuisi Orji, Godwin Tsa, **Abuja; **Desmond Mgboh, **Kano; Laide Raheem, Abeokuta; Jude Owuamanam, Jos; Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe; Taiwo Ogunniyi, Ilorin; Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki and Isaac Job, Uyo

Fresh political and legal wars erupted across the country at the weekend after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released its final lists of candidates, shutting out key Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship hopefuls, exposing rival claims to some tickets and setting up heavyweight contests ahead of the February 6, 2027 elections.

The disputes have also spread beyond the governorship races. In Gombe, an All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives candidate already published by INEC has had the primary that produced him nullified by a Federal High Court, underscoring how litigation could continue to alter the electoral field even after publication of candidates’ names.

In Kwara, the lists have formally set up a potentially bruising Central Senatorial District contest between outgoing Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of the APC and incumbent Senator Saliu Mustapha of the PDP.

While the APC and African Democratic Congress (ADC) emerged largely unscathed from the governorship exclusions reviewed, the PDP and NDC are fighting on several fronts to restore omitted candidates and defend disputed nominations.

The immediate casualties include PDP governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe, where Ladi Adebutu and former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, respectively failed to make the published list.

For the NDC, the crisis stretches across several states. Its Kano candidate, former deputy governor Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo, is missing, while the party also suffered an exclusion in Nasarawa.

Plateau presents an even more explosive scenario, with two men laying claim to the NDC governorship ticket despite INEC recognising Jonathan Akuns as the party’s candidate.

In contrast, checks on the governorship lists showed no comparable loss by the APC, whose candidates survived publication, including Kingsley Chinda in Rivers State despite earlier questions surrounding the circumstances of his defection and nomination.

The ADC similarly escaped any major governorship casualty among the states reviewed, although its Ogun candidate, Lawal Adebisi, appeared on the list pursuant to a court order.

The uneven outcome has intensified scrutiny of the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment of September 24 in INEC v Zenith Labour Party, which restored Sections 77(5) to (7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026.

Under the provisions, only party members whose names were contained in registers submitted to INEC within the prescribed period before party primaries may participate in such exercises or emerge as candidates.

Unless the affected parties secure administrative or judicial relief, they could approach the February elections without candidates in constituencies where they had expected to mount serious challenges.

INEC’s lists offered no explanations for individual governorship omissions, leaving affected parties and candidates to establish that they complied with the law.

The controversy was heightened by an October 9 letter from the APC urging INEC to fully enforce the Supreme Court judgment and verify all parties’ compliance with the membership-register requirement.

The APC said compliance was a statutory obligation, not a matter of discretion, although it did not name particular candidates it wanted removed.

The unfolding disputes have shown that the consequences of the new legal regime extend beyond candidates omitted from the lists, with courts also being asked to determine the validity of published nominations and attempted substitutions.

•Ogun: Adebutu vows to challenge exclusion, APC fires back

In Ogun, Adebutu has vowed to challenge the omission of his name and that of his running mate, insisting that he remains a duly registered PDP member and met the party membership requirements within the stipulated period.

Adebutu said he completed his digital registration within the prescribed period, had his membership card printed and verified, and ensured that the relevant documentation was submitted to INEC within time. “I have not at any point left the PDP, and my commitment to our great party remains unwavering.”

The former House of Representatives member also maintained that the governorship primary which produced him was conducted with INEC officials in attendance as observers.

“The relevant documents were presented for verification, certification and confirmation. These are important facts that must not be overlooked in the present circumstances.”

Adebutu said the omission was particularly troubling because PDP candidates for the Ogun State House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate were included in INEC’s lists.

“We will pursue this matter through the appropriate channels and insist that due process is respected,” he said, urging PDP members and supporters to remain calm and steadfast.

But the APC told Adebutu and the PDP to take responsibility for his non-listing rather than blame the ruling party.

Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee of the APC Campaign Council, Kayode Odunaro, described the Ogun PDP as factional and crisis-ridden and accused it of engaging in a “childish blame game.”

He said the APC and its candidates were contestants like every other party under INEC as umpire and could not be blamed if another party failed to comply with administrative procedures or the Electoral Act.

“How can anyone now attribute the failure of PDP to follow through on simple administrative procedures and adherence to rules of the game as pressure from APC on INEC leading to the non-listing of their candidate as a contestant?”

Odunaro said candidates in other states had suffered a similar fate over alleged non-compliance and maintained that the APC and its governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, were prepared to face every eligible candidate certified by INEC.

The APC said it was campaigning on what it described as proven performance, capacity, equity and justice and would not sympathise with any party or candidate that ran foul of the rules.

•Gombe: Pantami battles omission

Gombe has become another major battleground for the PDP following Pantami’s exclusion.

The party and the Pantamiyya Movement described the development as a temporary setback, saying legal and liaison teams were engaging relevant authorities to enforce existing court processes and correct the omission.

Pantami urged supporters to remain calm, describing the development as part of the electoral process rather than the end of his governorship bid.

•PDP engages INEC over Adebutu, Pantami, others

The PDP has meanwhile begun engagements with INEC over the omission of some of its candidates from the final lists.

The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, expressed concern but urged affected candidates, members and supporters to remain calm while discussions with the commission continued.

It said it was “already engaging with INEC to address the issues responsible for the omissions, with a view to securing an amicable resolution in accordance with the law and established electoral guidelines.”

“The PDP therefore assures all concerned that it is treating this development with the utmost seriousness it deserves and will communicate further developments as appropriate.

“The party is committed to ensuring that all legitimate concerns are properly addressed with the Commission.

“Consequently, the party calls on all affected candidates, members and supporters to remain calm, exercise patience and refrain from actions or statements capable of undermining the ongoing engagements with the Commission.”

•Gombe: Court knocks out published APC Reps primary

The electoral uncertainty in Gombe is not limited to the governorship contest.

Ali Isa JC had already been listed by INEC as the APC candidate for Billiri/Balanga Federal Constituency before a Federal High Court subsequently nullified the primary that produced him.

INEC published its final list of National Assembly candidates on September 12, 2026.

But on September 30, Justice Vera E. Ibrahim of the Federal High Court, Gombe, nullified the APC primary held on May 16 following a suit filed by another aspirant, Alfred John.

John challenged Ali JC’s eligibility to participate in the primary, arguing that he joined the APC only 16 days before the exercise and was not contained in the party membership register submitted to INEC within the statutory period.

The court held that Ali JC’s participation was invalid, unlawful and null and void for non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

It ordered the APC to conduct a fresh primary within 30 days, barred Ali JC from participating in the rerun and directed the withdrawal of the certificate issued to him.

The court, however, did not declare John winner of the ticket.

Unlike candidates complaining that their names were omitted before publication, Ali JC’s name was already on INEC’s list before the judgment.

His appearance on the list therefore predates the ruling and does not, on its own, establish that INEC disregarded the court order.

His eventual status will depend on subsequent legal and administrative developments, including whether the APC or Ali JC appeals or secures another order affecting enforcement.

The case nevertheless illustrates how candidate lists may remain fluid despite being described as final, particularly where courts intervene in unresolved pre-election disputes.

•Benue: Court strikes out challenge to APC substitutions

In another pre-election dispute, the Federal High Court in Abuja struck out a suit challenging alleged attempts by the APC to substitute some of its candidates in Benue State.

Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed the suit filed by Sesugh Kaaba for lack of locus standi, holding that he failed to establish that he participated in the APC primary held on May 20, 2026.

Kaaba, in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1429/2026, had sought orders restraining the APC and INEC from substituting candidates who emerged for the governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly elections.

The court held that the documents he relied upon did not establish participation in the primary.

His forms, dated June 18, came after the May 20 exercise and could not, in the court’s view, prove his participation.

Justice Ekwo also held that a Court of Appeal judgment of December 5, 2025, relied upon by the plaintiff did not cure the defect.

Relying on Wushishi v. Imam, the court held that only an aspirant who actually participated in a party primary had standing to challenge its conduct or outcome.

“The consequence of lack of locus standi is dire and the courts have been unwavering in making pronouncements on it,” the judge held.

The case was consequently struck out without determination of the substantive question of whether the APC could lawfully make the substitutions complained of.

The Benue decision introduces another dimension to the widening pre-election battles: a court may not reach the substance of a complaint unless the person bringing it first establishes legal standing.

•Kano: NDC blames ‘error’

The NDC is fighting a similar battle in Kano, where Gwarzo’s omission has triggered concern within the party, although officials insist it resulted from an error rather than disqualification.

Spokesman of the Kwankwasiyya Movement in the NDC, Habibu Saleh Mohammed, said the candidate’s details were submitted within time and there was no court case capable of dislodging him.

“We believe that there must have been an error somewhere. We submitted his details at the right time. We have no court case anywhere. So there is no cause for alarm. INEC will do the right thing.”

Mohammed said the party had contacted INEC and was working to resolve the matter.

•Nasarawa: NDC candidate missing

In Nasarawa, the NDC also failed to make the governorship list, with its candidate, Musa Shugaba-Abdullahi, omitted.

The party was absent from the list of 13 governorship tickets published by INEC, alongside the Action Alliance.

The omission has added Nasarawa to the states where the NDC may have to pursue administrative or judicial remedies to restore its candidate.

•Plateau: 2 men, one NDC ticket

While Kano is treating its problem as an omission capable of administrative correction, Plateau is already locked in a full-blown nomination war.

INEC recognised Jonathan Akuns as the NDC governorship candidate, but Alfred Dapal is also claiming the ticket and has gone to court to stop Akuns.

Dapal, in suit FHC/J/CS/87/2026 before the Federal High Court in Jos, obtained an order restraining Akuns from parading himself as the party’s candidate and the NDC from replacing or displacing him pending determination of the dispute.

Justice S.T. Ishaya restrained the party from substituting, replacing, withdrawing or otherwise displacing Dapal as the candidate he said emerged from the September 15 governorship primary.

Plateau NDC Chairman, Solomon Ndam, said the crisis arose after a committee sent from Abuja allegedly conducted another exercise outside the party secretariat, which he said was the designated venue.

According to him, Dapal emerged from the exercise conducted at the party secretariat, while Akuns had allegedly been suspended before the primary for anti-party activities.

Akuns rejected the claim and maintained that he was declared unopposed as the authentic candidate.

He said he and his counsel had briefed the party’s national leadership on the pending cases and that the leadership was satisfied with the circumstances of his emergence.

The result is a potentially combustible situation in which INEC’s final list recognises one candidate while another claimant relies on a court order to challenge his candidature.

•Kwara: Old political forces regroup

In Kwara, publication of the list has shifted attention from nomination disputes to a broader battle among old political forces, defectors and emerging platforms.

With Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq due to complete his second term in May 2027, the governorship contest is shaping up as a test of whether the APC can retain power without him on the ballot or the PDP can stage a comeback under the political leadership of former Senate president, Bukola Saraki.

The APC is fielding Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Salihu Danladi, while the PDP has Suleiman Bolakale Kawu, popularly known as Agaka.

The ADC and NDC are also attempting to break the dominance of the two older forces.

Danladi’s emergence has introduced a strong regional dimension because he comes from Kwara North, which has long argued that it has been marginalised in the allocation of the governorship since the return to democracy in 1999.

The APC is expected to campaign on AbdulRazaq’s record in infrastructure, education, healthcare and agriculture but must also manage grievances arising from its primaries and the defection of influential members.

The PDP is relying on Saraki’s extensive political network, reconciliation efforts and the possibility that dissatisfaction within the ruling party could work in its favour.

The ADC has attracted experienced political figures, including former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and others who previously operated within the APC and PDP, while the NDC hopes its growing national profile will translate into local electoral support.

The governorship battle is therefore likely to turn on party strength, candidate acceptability, regional sentiment, defections and the ability of each party to hold its coalition together.

•Kwara Central: AbdulRazaq, Mustapha in Senate showdown

Beyond the governorship contest, the final list has thrown up one of the more intriguing Senate battles of 2027, with AbdulRazaq and Mustapha cleared to slug it out for the Kwara Central seat.

AbdulRazaq, who will leave the governorship after two terms, is the APC candidate, while Mustapha, the incumbent senator, is flying the PDP flag.

The contest pits a serving governor seeking a transition to the National Assembly against an incumbent senator fighting to retain his seat.

AbdulRazaq enters the race with the visibility and political structure of a two-term governor whose party controls the state government and much of the local political machinery.

Mustapha, however, has the advantages of incumbency, an established constituency structure and the backing of a PDP seeking to rebuild its influence in a district central to Kwara politics.

The Senate contest will run alongside the battle to succeed AbdulRazaq as governor, turning Kwara Central into a major theatre where both parties will fight simultaneously for federal and state political influence.

INEC listed 13 candidates for the seat. Apart from AbdulRazaq and Mustapha, candidates of Accord, Action Alliance, Action Democratic Party, African Peoples Party, ADC, Action Peoples Movement, Labour Party, National Rescue Movement, New Nigeria Peoples Party, NDC and Social Democratic Party are also in the race.

Kwara North and Kwara South each have 11 senatorial candidates, bringing the number across the state’s three Senate districts to 35.

The AbdulRazaq-Mustapha confrontation is, however, likely to command particular attention because of the political weight of the two principal contenders and what victory or defeat could mean for the balance of power between the APC and PDP.

•Ebonyi: 250 battle for 25 seats

In Ebonyi, 250 candidates were cleared to contest the governorship and 24 House of Assembly seats.

Of the number, 12 are governorship candidates while 238 are seeking seats in the state legislature.

Among those listed for governor are Francis Nwifuru of the APC, Splendor Oko Eze of the Labour Party and Ifeanyi Odii of the PDP.

Three women are among the 12 governorship candidates, while 28 women are contesting alongside 210 men for the 24 House of Assembly seats.

INEC has also commenced distribution of Permanent Voter Cards to those who registered in 2025.

The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Pauline Onyeka, said distribution began on October 9 and warned that proxy collection would not be allowed.

•Akwa Ibom: Eno, Udoedehe make list

In Akwa Ibom, Governor Umo Eno of the APC, John Udoedehe of the ADC and the PDP governorship candidate were among those cleared by INEC.

The publication has, however, not ended disputes surrounding party nominations and recognition of candidates, as some opposition contenders complained about exclusions, with some threatening legal action.

The complaints underline the broader national pattern in which publication of the final list has merely shifted some intra-party and nomination battles from party platforms to INEC and the courts.

•Race against law, time

For parties and candidates affected in Ogun, Gombe, Kano, Nasarawa and Plateau, the battle is now as much against statutory timelines as against political opponents.

Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act provides a limited window within which a political party may notify INEC in writing where the name of a candidate validly nominated by it is missing from the published list.

Court action also remains open in appropriate cases, but pre-election disputes are governed by strict timelines.

For the PDP and NDC, therefore, the immediate contest is no longer only against the APC, ADC or other rivals at the polls. Their first battle is to secure places on the ballot which they insist their candidates validly earned.

With rival claims, omissions, court orders and fresh challenges still unfolding, INEC’s “final lists” may prove to be only the opening chapter of the 2027 election wars.

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