By Opeyemi Adelakun
The Independent National Electoral Commission is set to take another major step towards the 2027 general elections with the publication of candidates nominated by political parties for the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
The commission will publish the candidate lists on Saturday, August 29, 2026, ahead of the elections scheduled for February 6, 2027.
The publication will allow political parties, candidates and members of the public to examine the names and other details submitted to INEC as the electoral process moves into another critical phase.
While governorship elections will be conducted in 28 states, elections into the State Houses of Assembly will take place in all 36 states of the federation.
States scheduled to elect governors in 2027 are Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Kwara, Benue, Plateau, Niger, Nasarawa, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto.
The governorship contests will not take place in Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Edo, Bayelsa, Anambra, Imo and Kogi, where elections were held at different times because of Nigeria’s staggered electoral cycle.
The approaching INEC deadline is expected to put additional pressure on political parties to conclude their nomination processes and resolve outstanding issues concerning their candidates.
Nigeria currently has 22 registered political parties, and they are expected to field candidates for the governorship and legislative contests.
New governors will be elected in states where the tenure of the incumbent governors expires in 2027, including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kwara and Nasarawa.
The candidate publication will consequently offer voters their first comprehensive view of the individuals put forward by the various political parties for the affected governorship and Assembly contests.
The commission’s latest deadline comes after the August 22 deadline for candidates wishing to withdraw from the 2027 elections.
Under Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2026, a candidate who intends to withdraw must submit a written notice, signed by the candidate and accompanied by an affidavit, personally to the political party that nominated the candidate.
The requirement provides a formal process for candidates who decide to step down after securing their parties’ nominations.
The August 29 deadline also covers the submission of final candidate lists for political parties participating in the presidential and National Assembly elections.
However, INEC has fixed September 12, 2026, for the publication of the final list of candidates for the presidential, Senate and House of Representatives elections.
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