2027: INEC List Stirs Political Tensions As Top Candidates Miss Out

•Adebutu, Pantami Absent As Adamu, Chinda Make List

•Ogun PDP Accuses APC Of Interference, Ruling Party Fires Back

•COCSON Cautions Against Blaming INEC As Shehu Sani Calls For Calm

The Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list of candidates for the 2027 elections has stirred fresh political tensions, with prominent politicians Mohammed Adamu, Kingsley Chinda and Ovie Omo-Agege making the list, while Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidates Ladi Adebutu and Isa Pantami remain absent.

The omissions have triggered allegations and counter-allegations, particularly in Ogun State, where the PDP accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of influencing the exclusion of Adebutu and his running mate, Yemi Showunmi Kolapo. The APC rejected the allegation, describing it as baseless.

Former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani has also urged candidates whose names are missing from the list to reconsider further legal action, while the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (COCSON) cautioned politicians against blaming INEC without establishing the circumstances surrounding their exclusion.

The development follows a September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgment restoring provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 requiring political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before conducting primaries, congresses or conventions.

The ruling has raised questions about the eligibility of politicians who defected to new parties after losing primaries, as well as those who obtained tickets through substitutions or waivers.

Under Section 77(5) of the Electoral Act 2026, only party members whose names appear on the membership register submitted to INEC within the statutory period may participate in the relevant party exercise.

The Supreme Court restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) after INEC challenged a Court of Appeal decision that had struck down the disputed provisions.

The dispute originated from a suit filed by the Zenith Labour Party. The Federal High Court dismissed the case in May, but the Court of Appeal ruled against the provisions in July before the Supreme Court reversed that decision in September.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had earlier said the commission was reviewing the certified true copy of the Supreme Court judgment. National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education Mohammed Haruna subsequently said during an appearance on Trust TV’s Daily Politics that parties could not field candidates who were not members when they contested for their tickets.

Although the commission has published its final list, the documents do not state the specific reasons for the omission of Adebutu, Pantami and their running mates.

OGUN PDP, APC TRADE BLAME OVER ADEBUTU’S OMISSION

The Ogun State chapters of the PDP and APC have exchanged accusations over Adebutu’s absence from INEC’s final list, with the opposition party alleging interference and the ruling party insisting that the claim is an attempt to deflect attention from its political challenges.

The controversy had gathered momentum after the Ogun Democratic Accountability Forum and Elections Integrity Watch raised concerns over the alleged omission of Adebutu’s name from the PDP membership register submitted to INEC.

PDP state chairman, Abayomi Tella, dismissed the claims and insisted that Adebutu was duly registered as a party member.

He linked the controversy to the political rivalry surrounding the 2027 governorship election, including disputes over the indigeneity of the APC’s governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.

The PDP’s state publicity secretary, Kayode Adebayo, later alleged that pressure from the ruling party had influenced INEC’s decision to leave Adebutu and his running mate off the list.

“The public should be informed that the omission of our candidate’s name in the INEC list is as a result of the undue pressure mounted by the ruling party on INEC out of fear of losing the election to our party,” Adebayo said in a statement.

He maintained that Adebutu had not left the PDP and that his membership card had been printed, verified and submitted to INEC within the stipulated period.

“The Peoples Democratic Party enjoins the good people of Ogun State to be calm and rest assured that our governorship candidate, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu’s name will be published by the Independent National Electoral Commission and he will emerge as the Governor of Ogun State in the 2027 General Elections,” he added.

Adebayo urged party supporters to remain focused on the election, arguing that the omission would not change their commitment to the PDP candidate.

The APC, however, denied exerting pressure on INEC to exclude Adebutu.

In a statement, the chairman of the APC Campaign Council’s Media and Publicity Committee in Ogun State, Kayode Odunaro, described the allegation as “baseless and tissues of lies”.

Odunaro denied that Adeola or any APC official had met INEC representatives to secure Adebutu’s exclusion. He argued that the PDP’s accusations reflected its concerns about the forthcoming election.

“We are not surprised by this latest hallucination from PDP. It has become their standard operating procedure to cry wolf whenever they realise that the electorate have totally rejected them,” he said.

Odunaro added that Adeola remained focused on his legislative duties and consultations ahead of the election, citing his public service record as part of his political credentials.

The competing claims have intensified the dispute over Adebutu’s absence, but neither party has presented evidence in the statements cited to establish that the APC influenced INEC’s decision. The commission has also not publicly stated the specific reason for the omission in the published list.

PANTAMI ALSO MISSING FROM GOMBE LIST

In Gombe State, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Pantami is also absent from INEC’s final list after recently emerging as the PDP governorship candidate through a fresh primary.

Pantami and his running mate were not included in the commission’s published document. INEC has not stated why their names are missing.

The omission places the Gombe contest among the prominent nomination disputes attracting attention following the Supreme Court’s decision on party membership registers.

The judgment has heightened scrutiny of party primaries and nomination procedures, particularly where candidates have contested fresh primaries or where disputes have led to changes in the party’s choice of nominee.

However, the absence of a name from the published list does not, on its own, establish the precise reason for the omission. That would require clarification from INEC or relevant documentary and legal evidence.

ADAMU, CHINDA, OMO-AGEGE MAKE FINAL LIST

While Adebutu and Pantami remain absent, several politicians whose candidacies had attracted questions over party membership and nomination procedures have appeared on INEC’s final list.

Former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu is listed as the Social Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Nasarawa State after emerging through a substitution primary in September.

The process followed the withdrawal of the party’s previously recognised nominee, Musa Angbazo. Adamu’s campaign organisation had challenged INEC’s initial recognition of Angbazo, maintaining that the former police chief was the authentic candidate.

Adamu’s appearance on the final list has eased uncertainty over the SDP’s participation in the Nasarawa governorship election, although the listing does not automatically determine the outcome of any separate legal challenge.

In Rivers State, Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives and an ally of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, appears as the APC governorship candidate.

His candidacy attracted scrutiny over the timing of his party registration and formal defection from the PDP relative to the APC primary held on May 21, 2026.

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

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

His inclusion on the list confirms his publication as the APC candidate but does not, by itself, settle any potential legal dispute.

Former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege is listed as the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Delta Central senatorial district after leaving the APC following his defeat in the party’s senatorial primary.

Omo-Agege lost to incumbent Senator Ede Dafinone in May, resigned from the APC on May 22 and subsequently joined the NDC. He secured its ticket through a consensus arrangement involving a party waiver.

Former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker Victor Ochei also appears on the list as the NDC candidate for Delta North after leaving the APC and obtaining a waiver to contest the party’s senatorial primary.

The two cases have raised questions about the use of waivers to accommodate new party members after the statutory deadline for submitting membership registers. While a waiver may address an internal party arrangement, it does not automatically establish compliance with the Electoral Act.

In Bauchi State, Senator Shehu Buba Umar is listed as the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) governorship candidate, with Aliyu Tijjani Mohammed as his running mate.

Buba, who represents Bauchi South in the Senate, left the APC after a breakdown in his relationship with the party over its nomination process. He subsequently secured the PRP ticket at a special delegates’ congress on May 25.

In Kwara State, Senator Saliu Mustapha appears as the PDP candidate for Kwara Central senatorial district after leaving the APC and obtaining the opposition party’s ticket through a substitution process.

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

His candidacy places him in the contest against Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who is also seeking the Kwara Central Senate seat on the APC platform.

The contrasting outcomes underline the political uncertainty surrounding party membership registers, defections, substitutions and waivers ahead of the 2027 elections.

SHEHU SANI, COCSON URGE RESTRAINT

Amid the controversy, former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani has advised candidates whose names are missing from INEC’s final lists to avoid spending more money and time pursuing legal battles he believes are unlikely to succeed.

Sani said the Supreme Court judgment had clarified the legal position and urged affected politicians to begin preparing for future elections rather than continue filing fresh suits.

“The Supreme Court ruling that enabled INEC to exclude some names of candidates is very clear. Affected candidates should not waste their money, time and energy fighting a lost battle,” he wrote on X.

He also appealed to lawyers, including Senior Advocates of Nigeria representing the affected candidates, to discourage further litigation where the legal position had already been settled.

“I also wish to appeal to those Barristers and SANs to ‘pity’ those candidates and allow them to rest, and not mislead them into spending more money ‘filing fresh suits’. Four years will come and go; let them strategise for the future,” he added.

COCSON, meanwhile, commended INEC for releasing the final candidates’ list in line with the electoral timetable but cautioned against assuming that every omission resulted from deliberate action by the commission.

In a statement signed by its National Secretary, Dr Tabuko Kennedy, the coalition said missing names could result from court judgments, pending litigation, disputes over party primaries, failure to meet statutory nomination requirements or other procedural issues.

“The absence of a candidate’s name does not automatically imply deliberate exclusion or wrongdoing by the Commission,” COCSON said.

The coalition added that responsibility for some nomination disputes could rest with the affected political parties or candidates, particularly where statutory requirements had not been met.

It advised candidates whose names were missing to seek clarification from INEC and pursue their grievances through the courts rather than make unsubstantiated allegations against the electoral body.

While insisting that INEC must remain accountable, COCSON maintained that the commission should not be blamed for issues arising from court orders or procedural failures beyond its control.

The group also called on politicians and their supporters to avoid violence, intimidation and hate speech as preparations for the elections gather momentum. It urged security agencies to remain professional and impartial.

The controversy has placed renewed attention on the relationship between party autonomy, statutory membership requirements and INEC’s responsibility to enforce electoral laws.

For candidates whose names have been published, the listing confirms their appearance on the commission’s final document but does not necessarily foreclose separate legal challenges. For those omitted, the immediate questions concern the reasons for their exclusion and the remedies available under the law.

With the 2027 elections approaching, further clarification from INEC and any court proceedings arising from the disputed nominations are likely to shape the next phase of the contest.