Nigeria: INEC Delists Some Candidates for 2027 Elections

What the report says

Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission has removed some names from the list of candidates it had earlier cleared for the 2027 elections, according to Daily Trust as distributed by AllAfrica. The decision affects candidates for governorship and state houses of assembly, with the commission having first published the list on October 10, 2026.

The reported omissions prompted questions from affected parties and candidates, including Isa Ali Pantami of the Peoples Democratic Party in Gombe, Ladi Adebutu of the PDP in Ogun, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo. INEC said some candidates were left off because their parties did not submit membership registers as required by law.

The commission said the action followed a September 24, 2026 Supreme Court ruling that upheld the legal requirement in the Electoral Act, 2026 for parties to file membership registers. INEC also said it was acting in line with constitutional obligations to comply with superior court decisions. The report says parties that believed their candidates were wrongly excluded were asked to notify the commission by October 24, 2026.

The development matters because it could affect ballot access and party nominations ahead of a major election cycle, while also highlighting the legal and administrative requirements parties must satisfy before their candidates are finalized.