2027 Elections: Adamu, Omo-Agege, Chinda, Buba, Others Make INEC’s Final List

Former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu, former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege and other politicians whose candidacies faced questions over party membership rules have appeared on the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list for the 2027 elections.

Others include former House of Representatives Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, Senator Shehu Buba Umar, Senator Saliu Mustapha and former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker Victor Ochei.

Their inclusion comes amid controversy over the application of the Electoral Act 2026 to party membership registers and nomination procedures.

The controversy centres on a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026. The apex court restored provisions requiring political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before their primaries, congresses or conventions.

Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026 stipulates that only members whose names appear on the submitted registers can vote or contest in the relevant party exercises.

The dispute began when the Zenith Labour Party challenged the provisions, arguing that they infringed on the constitutional autonomy of political parties. The Federal High Court dismissed the suit in May, but the Court of Appeal struck down the disputed provisions in July.

INEC subsequently approached the Supreme Court, which reversed the appellate court’s decision and restored Sections 77(5)–(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026.

The ruling generated uncertainty for politicians who switched parties after losing primaries or disagreed with their former party leaderships. It also raised questions about candidates who secured tickets through substitution arrangements or waivers granted by their new parties.

At a recent World Press Conference, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the commission was reviewing the certified true copy of the judgment.

However, INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, offered a clearer indication of the commission’s position during an appearance on Trust TV’s Daily Politics.

Haruna said parties could not field candidates who were not members when they contested for their tickets.

When INEC released its final list on Saturday, October 10, some of the politicians caught up in the controversy appeared on the list, while other prominent aspirants were absent.

Below are some of the politicians whose inclusion has drawn attention amid the debate over party membership registers and nomination procedures.

MOHAMMED ADAMU

Former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu faced uncertainty over his candidacy for the 2027 Nasarawa governorship election after leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC) shortly before its primaries.

Adamu subsequently emerged as the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate through a substitution primary in September. The process followed the withdrawal of the party’s previously listed nominee, Musa Angbazo.

INEC had initially recognised Angbazo, prompting Adamu’s campaign organisation to challenge the situation and insist that the former police chief was the authentic candidate.

The dispute placed the SDP’s substitution process under scrutiny, particularly the circumstances surrounding the replacement of the original nominee.

Adamu’s camp maintained that the substitution complied with the law. It also argued that the Supreme Court judgment neither disqualified him nor invalidated the party’s membership register or direct primary.

His appearance on INEC’s final list marks a shift from the uncertainty that followed the commission’s initial publication.

The Nasarawa SDP welcomed the development, saying it had eased speculation over the party’s participation in the election.

Adamu’s case highlights how the controversy extends beyond politicians who join new parties after losing primaries. Candidates who emerge through changes to previously submitted nominations have also faced questions over the legality of their selection.

His inclusion gives the SDP a recognised candidate on the published list, although any separate legal challenge would still require determination on its own merits.

KINGSLEY CHINDA

Kingsley Chinda’s emergence as the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State has attracted attention because of the timing of his movement from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives and an ally of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, emerged from the APC governorship primary on May 21, 2026.

Reports on his political movement indicated that he registered with the APC on April 27, while the formal announcement of his defection from the PDP came on June 2, after the primary.

The sequence raised questions about whether Chinda met the membership requirements for participation in the APC primary and whether his name appeared on the register submitted to INEC within the statutory period.

The issue has wider political implications in Rivers State, where Wike’s relationship with the APC-led Federal Government and his rivalry with Governor Siminalayi Fubara have shaped political alignments.

Chinda’s candidacy therefore forms part of the broader struggle for political influence in the state, which has remained a major battleground since the 2023 elections.

The Rivers APC has defended his candidacy. His inclusion on INEC’s final list confirms that the commission has published him as the party’s candidate, although the listing alone does not settle any potential legal dispute.

OVIE OMO-AGEGE

Former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege also made INEC’s final list after switching parties following his defeat in the APC senatorial primary for Delta Central.

Omo-Agege contested the primary in May but lost to the incumbent senator, Ede Dafinone. He resigned from the APC on May 22, 2026, and subsequently joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The NDC granted him a waiver to contest its Delta Central senatorial primary, which he won through a consensus arrangement.

His movement raised questions about whether the waiver and nomination process complied with the Electoral Act’s provisions on party membership and participation in primaries.

The timing of his entry into the NDC became particularly significant after the Supreme Court restored the requirement for parties to use membership registers submitted to INEC within the prescribed period.

Omo-Agege’s case also reflects the political calculations that follow contested primaries. Having held one of the National Assembly’s most prominent positions, he is now seeking a return to the Senate under a different party.

His appearance on the final list places him in the race for Delta Central on the NDC platform.

SHEHU BUBA UMAR

Senator Shehu Buba Umar’s emergence as the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) governorship candidate in Bauchi State followed a breakdown in his relationship with the APC, under which he initially pursued his governorship ambition.

Buba, who represents Bauchi South in the Senate, declared his intention to contest the governorship in April 2026. He called on the APC to conduct a transparent primary and allow party members to choose their candidate.

The contest centred on the succession to Governor Bala Mohammed, with party stakeholders seeking influence over the choice of the next governor.

Following the APC nomination process, Buba moved to the PRP and secured its governorship ticket at a special delegates’ congress on May 25.

He subsequently announced that he had transferred his political structure to the party and registered as a member in his ward in Toro Local Government Area.

His move placed him among the politicians whose candidacies attracted attention after the Supreme Court restored the Electoral Act’s provisions on membership registers.

The central question was whether his transition from the APC to the PRP and his subsequent nomination satisfied the statutory requirements.

Buba’s supporters maintained that his candidacy complied with the relevant rules. However, the wider controversy created uncertainty for politicians who changed platforms after disputes over party tickets.

INEC’s final list includes Buba as the PRP governorship candidate, with Aliyu Tijjani Mohammed as his running mate.

The development has given the party greater certainty over its participation in the Bauchi governorship contest. Buba has also presented the PRP as an alternative to the established political forces in the state.

He has pledged to focus on security, agriculture, employment, education and healthcare if elected.

His candidacy brings a serving senator with an established political constituency into the contest for Bauchi Government House.

The challenge for the PRP will be to convert his existing political network and the support of former APC stakeholders into a statewide electoral platform.

SALIU MUSTAPHA

In Kwara State, Senator Saliu Mustapha’s appearance on INEC’s final list reflects the political realignments following the APC’s governorship and senatorial nomination contests.

Mustapha left the APC in August after losing the governorship primary to Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, and failing to secure the party’s senatorial ticket.

He subsequently joined the PDP and obtained its Kwara Central senatorial ticket through a substitution process.

INEC’s final list names Mustapha as the PDP candidate for the district. He is set to challenge Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who is seeking the same Senate seat on the APC platform.

The contest carries implications for the wider political structure in Kwara, where divisions within the ruling party have fuelled realignments among different political groups.

Mustapha’s move has been linked to disagreements involving the G-15, the OTOGE bloc and other stakeholders.

He has described his departure from the APC as a response to what he considers a departure from the party’s founding principles of internal democracy and collective participation.

Mustapha has also presented his decision to join the PDP as part of a broader political coalition rather than a personal move.

His emergence through a substitution process makes his candidacy relevant to the debate over membership registers and nomination procedures.

His inclusion on INEC’s final list confirms his publication as the PDP candidate for Kwara Central, although it does not, by itself, resolve any potential legal questions surrounding the process.

VICTOR OCHEI

Former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker Victor Ochei is another politician whose move to a new party preceded his emergence on INEC’s final list.

Ochei left the APC after its nomination process and joined the NDC, which granted him a waiver to participate in its Delta North senatorial primary.

He secured the party’s ticket on May 28, 2026, bringing his name into the debate over the eligibility of politicians who join new parties after internal nomination contests.

His case bears similarities to that of Omo-Agege, who also moved to the NDC after losing an APC primary and secured a ticket through a process that involved a party waiver.

The two cases raise questions about whether parties can accommodate new members through waivers when statutory membership-register deadlines have passed.

Although a waiver may resolve an internal party arrangement, it does not automatically establish compliance with the Electoral Act.

Ochei’s inclusion on INEC’s final list means the commission has published him as the NDC candidate for Delta North. However, the listing should not be mistaken for a judicial determination of the legality of the process that produced his candidacy.

The cases involving Adamu, Chinda, Omo-Agege, Buba, Mustapha and Ochei illustrate the political consequences of the Supreme Court’s judgment as parties prepare for the 2027 elections.

Their inclusion on INEC’s list has eased uncertainty over their appearance as candidates, but the final legal position on any disputed nomination will depend on the relevant statutory requirements, documentary evidence and any court proceedings.

Credit: Daily Trust