Politics
INEC Explains Omission Of Candidates from 2027 Governorship Election List
citing political parties’ failure to comply with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained the omission of some candidates from the final list for the 2027 governorship election, citing political parties’ failure to comply with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The commission said the decision followed a September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgment affirming the constitutionality of provisions requiring political parties to submit their membership registers before conducting valid primaries.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the Supreme Court ruling in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party upheld Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
According to him, the provisions make the submission of membership registers mandatory for all political parties.
“The Court upheld the constitutionality of Item No. 2 of INEC’s Timetable and Schedule of Activities, which mandated political parties to submit their membership registers between 21st April and 10th May, 2026,” the statement said.
Haruna explained that the court further ruled that political parties that failed to comply with the provisions were ineligible to sponsor candidates for the election.
He said INEC applied the Supreme Court’s decision while finalising the list of governorship candidates, excluding political parties that did not meet the statutory requirements.
“In accordance with Section 287(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Commission, while finalising the list of candidates for the Governorship election applied the above decision of the Supreme Court,” he stated.
The commission, however, noted that the final list of presidential and National Assembly candidates had been published on September 12, 2026, 13 days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.
INEC said political parties that believed their candidates had been wrongly omitted from the list could notify the commission within 14 days of publication, in line with Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
It consequently fixed October 24, 2026, as the deadline for such notifications.
The commission reiterated its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process.
“The Commission assures the public of its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process,” the statement added.
