The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday, October 29, 2026, granted provincial approvals to the Governorship flag-bearers of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo and the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State.
Gwarzo and Pantami were two prominent governorship candidates whose names were clearly missing from INEC’s list published in October, thereby prompted legal challenges and petitions for a review of the Electoral Commission’s decisions.
INEC however, said that Thursday’s clearance of the two Governorship candidates is subject to the outcomes of pending court cases. This is as the electoral umpire rejected a petition by the Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, who sought for a review of his exclusion from the list of candidates for the scheduled 2027 election.
It was gathered that the decision by INEC followed the outcome of its meeting on Thursday, October 29, during which it considered petitions submitted by political parties over the omission of candidates from the lists published ahead of the 2027 general elections.
A source at the commission said 69 petitions relating to omitted candidates for governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections were received while about 36 of them succeeded, adding that the final figures were still being compiled by the Commission’s Legal department ahead of an official statement on the outcome of the review.
It was gathered that Gwarzo of the NDC for Kano Governorship election was given conditional clearance pending the final determination of the court case challenging his omission from the list of governorship candidates in Kano State. Similarly, INEC granted Pantami’s candidacy clearance pending the outcome of the matter in court.
Gwarzo had approached the court to challenge the exclusion of himself and his running mate, Rabiu Mustapha, from the list of candidates submitted by the NDC for the Kano State governorship election.
In an originating summons dated October 20, 2026, Gwarzo urged the court to declare his exclusion and that of his running mate unlawful and to compel INEC to recognise them as the party’s governorship candidates.
In a related development, the Electoral body turned down the petition by the PDP Governorship candidate for Ogun State, Adebutu, who had challenged his omission from the final list of governorship candidates.
Adebutu had in his petition insisted that he remained a registered member of the PDP and had complied with the party’s membership registration requirements.
Adebutu’s omissions followed INEC’s decision that some political parties failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 requiring the submission of membership registers.
INEC specifically cited a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, which affirmed the constitutionality of Section 77(5) to (7) of the Electoral Act, thereby made the submission of party membership registers mandatory.
INEC’s latest decisions come as political parties and aspirants intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, with disputes over candidate nominations and eligibility continuing to generate legal proceedings.
