The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has approved 41 petitions challenging the final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship elections, while rejecting 28 others submitted by political parties. The commission also approved 25 petitions concerning candidates for the State Houses of Assembly elections, while 36 were unsuccessful. INEC disclosed this in a statement issued […]
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has approved 41 petitions challenging the final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship elections, while rejecting 28 others submitted by political parties.
The commission also approved 25 petitions concerning candidates for the State Houses of Assembly elections, while 36 were unsuccessful.
INEC disclosed this in a statement issued by the Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, following a review of complaints received after the publication of the final candidates’ lists on October 10, 2026.
The commission said it received 69 petitions from 12 political parties across 26 states over the governorship elections. It also received 61 petitions from 11 political parties across 11 states concerning the State Houses of Assembly elections.
The complaints included the omission of political parties, the inclusion of candidates whose names were missing from their parties’ membership registers, and allegations of multiple nominations.
INEC said it reviewed the petitions alongside relevant records and legal provisions, approving those that met the required criteria and rejecting those that did not.
The commission also confirmed that some candidates initially included in the final list had been removed after it established that their names were absent from the membership registers submitted by their political parties.
The review follows concerns over the omission of prominent candidates, including former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State; Ladi Adebutu, the PDP candidate in Ogun State; and Abdulsalam Gwarzo of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in Kano State.
INEC said the affected candidates, political parties and states would be reflected in an updated list on its website, while reaffirming its commitment to transparency and the credibility of the electoral process.
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