Nigeria's political parties have until Oct. 24 to report candidates missing from 2027 governorship lists to the election commission, as the omissions bring membership register rules before the commission and potentially the courts.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lists 13 governorship tickets in Ogun and 16 in Gombe. Neither list includes a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket. THEWILL identified Ladi Adebutu as the party's proposed candidate in Ogun and Isa Ali Pantami as its proposed candidate in Gombe.
INEC has linked omissions from the lists to requirements for party membership registers. It said in May that it had received registers from all 22 registered parties by May 8. Whether Adebutu or Pantami appeared on the register relevant to his primary is unverified.
Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026 requires a party to file its membership register with INEC at least 21 days before a primary. The filed register determines who can vote or stand in that primary. A party that misses the filing deadline cannot field a candidate in the election.
Nigeria's Supreme Court upheld the provisions on Sept. 24. The court treated the penalty as a restriction on a party's ability to field candidates, rather than a personal disqualification of a member. It also contrasted the 2026 law with the 2022 law, which required register submission but set no penalty for failing to submit one.
To report an omission, a party must send INEC a written notice bearing the signatures of its national chairman and secretary, along with an affidavit. Section 32(2) allows 14 days from publication of the list; INEC set Oct. 24 as the deadline. Separately, Section 88(2) allows an aspirant to seek redress in the Federal High Court over alleged breaches of the act or party guidelines during candidate selection or nomination.
INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna told THEWILL that petitions had reached the commission and would be reviewed. He said INEC would obey a court order overturning one of its decisions.
The omission also affects a Nigeria Democratic Congress ticket missing from Kano's governorship list. INEC's calendar schedules governorship and state assembly elections for Feb. 6, 2027. Parties seeking to report missing names face the Oct. 24 deadline first.
