Pantami, Adebutu Missing From INEC List: Commission Reveals What Happened

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained why several candidates were left out of the final list for the 2027 governorship elections, saying their political parties failed to meet the legal requirement for submitting membership registers.

The clarification came after affected parties and aspirants protested their exclusion from the published list. Among those missing were Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidates Isa Pantami in Gombe State and Ladi Adebutu in Ogun State.

Pantami was excluded despite winning a court-ordered rerun of the PDP governorship primary in Gombe, while Adebutu and his running mate were also omitted from the list.

Following the development, the Ogun PDP accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of exerting undue influence over the electoral commission. Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong also called on INEC to maintain its independence and neutrality.

In a statement released on Tuesday, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the exclusions were based on the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026, judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026.

According to the commission, the ruling upheld the constitutional validity of Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires political parties to submit their membership registers within the period stipulated by law.

INEC added that the Supreme Court also affirmed its timetable directing political parties to submit their registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.

The commission explained that the court’s decision meant political parties that failed to comply with the requirements could not field candidates in the electoral process.

It said the decision was applied when compiling the final list of governorship candidates, in line with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

INEC further pointed out that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had been published on September 12, 2026, 13 days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.

The commission also referred to Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which provides a 14-day period for political parties to notify INEC if they believe their candidates were wrongly excluded from the published list.

INEC has set October 24, 2026, as the deadline for submitting such notifications.

The commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, respect for the rule of law and the protection of the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.

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