INEC Defends Exclusion Of Some Candidates From 2027 Governorship List

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has defended its exclusion of some candidates from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections.

The commission said the affected political parties failed to comply with a mandatory provision of the Electoral Act, 2026.

In a statement signed on Tuesday, the National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the decision followed a Supreme Court judgment that upheld the requirement for parties to submit their membership registers.

The Supreme Court delivered the judgment on September 24, 2026, in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026.

The case arose from INEC’s appeal against a Court of Appeal judgment that nullified Sections 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026. The provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers as a condition for conducting valid primaries.

However, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the provisions and declared them mandatory for all political parties.

The court also affirmed Item 2 of INEC’s timetable for the elections. The provision required parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.

INEC said the court ruled that parties that failed to meet the requirement could not sponsor candidates for the election.

Haruna explained that the commission relied on the judgment and Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, when preparing the final list of governorship candidates.

He said INEC excluded parties that failed to comply with the statutory requirement in giving effect to the Supreme Court’s decision.

The commission also explained why the presidential and National Assembly candidates’ lists were published before the judgment.

According to Haruna, INEC released the final list of candidates for those elections on September 12, 2026, 13 days before the Supreme Court delivered its ruling.

The commission said the timing distinguished those lists from the governorship list prepared after the judgment.

INEC further reminded political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly omitted that they can formally notify the commission within the period allowed by law.

Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, gives political parties 14 days from the date of publication to notify INEC of any claim that a candidate was wrongly excluded.

The deadline for submitting such notifications is October 24, 2026.

The commission assured Nigerians of its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process as preparations for the 2027 elections continue.