By George Omagbemi
ABUJA — October 11, 2026. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published its final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections, omitting prominent opposition politicians Isa Ali Pantami, Ladi Adebutu and Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo.
The omissions leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) without listed governorship candidates in Gombe and Ogun states, while the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) faces uncertainty over its ticket in Kano State.
Pantami, a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, had won a fresh PDP governorship primary in Gombe on September 29, following a Federal High Court order for a rerun of the earlier exercise. Despite that victory, his name did not appear on INEC’s final list.
His campaign team described the omission as a temporary setback and said its legal and liaison teams were engaging the relevant party organs and INEC to seek a resolution.
In Ogun, Adebutu and his running mate, Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, were also absent from the list. The state PDP has maintained that Adebutu was properly registered and that the party complied with membership-registration requirements. INEC’s published list did not give a specific explanation for the omission.
In Kano, the NDC insists that Gwarzo remains its candidate and says his name was submitted to the commission. His absence from the published list, however, leaves the party’s position uncertain.
The omissions follow a September 24 Supreme Court judgment restoring provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 concerning party membership registers and participation in primaries. The ruling has intensified scrutiny of parties’ compliance with nomination requirements.
INEC has not publicly stated specific reasons for these three omissions in the published lists. The affected parties and candidates may pursue available legal or administrative remedies, but their eventual status will depend on the applicable law and any subsequent decisions.
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