The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it excluded candidates of some political parties from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections because the parties failed to comply with mandatory provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, on membership registers and valid party primaries.
In a statement signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee on Tuesday, the commission said the decision followed a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, which upheld the constitutionality of Sections 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC as a prerequisite for conducting valid primaries.
According to the commission, the Supreme Court ruled that compliance with the provisions was mandatory for all political parties and upheld Item 2 of INEC’s Timetable and Schedule of Activities, which required parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
INEC said the court also held that any political party that failed to comply with the requirements was ineligible to sponsor candidates for the election.
The commission explained that it applied the judgment while finalising the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship elections, excluding parties that failed to meet the statutory requirements.
The clarification comes amid concerns over the omission of some candidates from the final list published by the electoral umpire.
INEC, however, noted that the final list of presidential and National Assembly candidates had already been published on September 12, 2026, 13 days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.
It said political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly omitted from the list have 14 days from the date of publication to notify the commission, in line with Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
INEC fixed October 24, 2026, as the deadline for such notifications.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process.
