The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved 41 of the 69 petitions submitted over the omission of candidates and political parties from the final list of governorship contenders for the 2027 general election.
The commission rejected the remaining 28 petitions following a review of complaints received from 12 political parties across 26 states.
Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday night.
He explained that the complaints involved the omission of political parties, the inclusion of candidates whose names were allegedly absent from their parties’ membership registers and cases of multiple nominations.
According to Haruna, the commission examined the petitions alongside its records and relevant legal provisions before reaching its decisions.
He said some complaints were found to have merit, leading to the approval and inclusion of affected candidates and political parties in the electoral list.
However, petitions that failed to meet the required conditions were rejected.
The commission also removed some candidates whose names had been wrongly published after confirming that they were not listed in the membership registers submitted by their political parties.
INEC further approved the removal of candidates whose nominations did not comply with applicable legal requirements.
Although the commission did not identify the affected candidates or states, a source had earlier disclosed that its Thursday meeting cleared former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo.
Their clearance was reportedly subject to the outcomes of pending court cases.
The source also disclosed that a petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, seeking a review of his exclusion from the final list, was unsuccessful.
The source confirmed Pantami’s clearance when asked about the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State, while confirming that Adebutu’s petition had not succeeded.
INEC reviews State Assembly election petitions
The commission also disclosed the outcome of petitions concerning candidates for the State Houses of Assembly elections.
According to INEC, it received 61 petitions from 11 political parties across 11 states.
Of the petitions reviewed, 25 were approved, while 36 were rejected.
Haruna explained that the decisions concerning the affected candidates were based on specific complaints received by the commission and assessed in line with the law and its established procedures.
INEC said the names of the affected candidates, political parties and states would be included in an updated version of the electoral list to be published on its official website.
The commission reiterated its commitment to transparency and maintaining the credibility of the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general election.
Source: Vanguard
