The Independent National Electoral Commission’s final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections has triggered fresh controversy, after several governorship and legislative candidates were left out across different states.

The omissions have prompted protests and consultations between political parties and INEC, with some parties blaming administrative or technical errors, while others are dealing with internal leadership disputes, nomination controversies and pending court cases.

Among the most prominent omissions are the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe states — Oladipupo Adebutu and former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami.

The PDP said it was already engaging INEC to resolve the matter and urged the affected candidates and their supporters to remain calm.

Mr Adebutu insisted that he remained a registered PDP member and had fulfilled the requirements for his candidacy. He also said INEC officials were present as observers during the primary election that produced him as the party’s candidate.

He alleged that the Ogun PDP had faced pressure from the ruling All Progressives Congress, questioning why PDP candidates for the National Assembly and state House of Assembly were included while his name was missing.

However, the media aide to the APC governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Adeola, Kayode Odunaro, rejected the allegation, saying the PDP should take responsibility if it failed to comply with INEC’s procedures.

Pantami’s camp seeks calm

In Gombe, Mr Pantami’s camp described the omission as a temporary setback.

Mr Pantami emerged from a fresh PDP primary conducted on 29 September 2026, following a Federal High Court order.

His supporters said their legal and liaison teams were engaging the party and INEC to secure what they described as a correction within the period allowed by law.

NDC challenges omissions in Kano and Kaduna

The Nigeria Democratic Congress is also challenging omissions affecting its candidates.

In Kano, the party’s governorship candidate, Aminu Gwarzo, and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, were absent from the final list.

The party’s state leadership attributed the omission to a possible administrative or technical mix-up and insisted that the two remained its authentic candidates.

In Kaduna, NDC governorship candidate and former senator, Danjuma Tella La’ah, was also omitted.

The party blamed the situation on discrepancies created during online registration, saying network problems led to multiple attempts to register the candidate and resulted in different versions of his name appearing in the system.

The Kaduna NDC has yet to publicly confirm whether it has formally commenced legal proceedings over the omission.

ADC protests Jigawa omissions

The African Democratic Congress has also kicked against INEC’s list in Jigawa State.

The party’s endorsed deputy governorship candidate, Aminu Ibrahim Ringim, was omitted and replaced by Musa Ya’u Balarabe.

The ADC said about seven other candidates endorsed by the party were also missing from the list.

The party’s Deputy State Chairman, Nuraddeen Jidawa, said Ringim remained the candidate officially submitted to INEC and that the party would continue engaging the commission through legal means.

But INEC’s Head of Voter Education and Publicity in Jigawa, Adamu Sawaba, said the list published by the commission remained the final list.

Mr Sawaba said parties or candidates dissatisfied with the publication should seek redress in court, stressing that INEC could not simply alter the names on the list.

Action Alliance threatens legal action

The Action Alliance has also threatened to challenge the omission of some of its candidates.

The party identified affected governorship candidates in Rivers, Oyo, Nasarawa and Bauchi states, alongside some National Assembly and state House of Assembly candidates.

Its National Chairman and presidential candidate, Aare Adekunle Omo-Aje, said the party’s legal team was preparing to approach INEC and would pursue the matter until what it described as legitimate candidates were restored.

Some omissions linked to internal disputes

Not every omission has been blamed on technical errors.

In Plateau State, the PDP’s candidate list reflected an unresolved dispute between factions associated with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Tanimu Turaki. A PDP official said the matter was still before the Court of Appeal.

There are also disputes over nominations in Lagos, where some politicians who reportedly won party primaries were later replaced on the final tickets submitted to INEC.

Age issue removes Kwara candidate

In Kwara State, however, the reason for one omission appears clearer.

The African Action Congress governorship candidate, Duwatsu Musa, was excluded because he had not attained the constitutional minimum age of 35 required to contest for governor.

Mr Musa confirmed that he was 34 and would turn 35 in February 2027.

Section 177(b) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, requires a governorship candidate to be at least 35 years old.

INEC’s final candidate list determines who is officially recognised to contest the 2027 elections. That makes the current disputes more than an administrative disagreement: candidates whose names are missing face uncertainty over whether they will appear on the ballot.

The affected parties are therefore racing to clarify the discrepancies, while some are preparing for possible court battles.

For voters, the issue could also affect the candidates and parties they expect to see when campaigns and eventually voting begin.

INEC’s final list was signed by the commission’s Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony.