INEC Gives Pantami, Adebutu October 24 Deadline

The Independent National Electoral Commission has given political parties until October 24, 2026, to report errors involving candidates left out of its final list for the 2027 governorship elections.

The commission said the deadline allows affected parties to notify it if they believe their candidates were wrongly excluded from the published list.

INEC explained that the 14-day period was provided under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which allows political parties to request corrections when their candidates are omitted.

The announcement was made in a statement released on Tuesday by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.

The development follows complaints from several political parties over the exclusion of their candidates from the final list for the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.

Among the affected politicians are the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe states, Oladipupo Adebutu and Isa Ali Pantami, respectively.

Aminu Gwarzo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State, was also missing from the list.

In Jigawa State, the African Democratic Congress raised concerns over the exclusion of its endorsed deputy governorship candidate, Aminu Ringim, alongside several other candidates.

The omissions have caused dissatisfaction among affected political parties and politicians, with some demanding explanations from the electoral body. Others have threatened to seek legal redress to secure the inclusion of their candidates.

INEC said its decision was based on a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, in the case between the commission and the Zenith Labour Party.

The judgment addressed the legality of provisions in the Electoral Act relating to political party membership registers and the process of selecting candidates for elections.

According to INEC, the Supreme Court upheld Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which set out requirements that political parties must meet when submitting their membership registers.

The provisions require parties to submit their membership records to INEC within the approved period. The registers are also expected to serve as the basis for party primaries, congresses and conventions.

The electoral commission explained that the Supreme Court ruling overturned the position taken by the Court of Appeal, which had earlier invalidated the disputed provisions of the Electoral Act.

INEC said the apex court affirmed that the requirements were constitutional and compulsory for all political parties participating in elections.

The commission also noted that the Supreme Court upheld Item 2 of its election timetable, which directed political parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.

It added that parties that failed to meet the requirements were not eligible to present candidates for the elections.

INEC said it relied on the court’s decision when preparing the final list of governorship candidates, leaving out parties that did not comply with the membership register rules.

The commission maintained that its action was consistent with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires relevant authorities to comply with decisions made by the courts.

However, INEC clarified that the situation surrounding the presidential and National Assembly candidates was different because their final lists had already been published on September 12, 2026.

That publication took place 13 days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the membership register provisions.

For the governorship candidates, INEC said political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly excluded have until October 24 to notify the commission and seek corrections in line with the Electoral Act.

The clarification comes as political parties prepare for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections and assess the possible effects of the Supreme Court judgment on their participation.