Nigeria: PDP Tackles INEC Over Omission of Its Candidates in Final List of 2027 Contestants

What the report says

The Peoples Democratic Party has raised concern after the Independent National Electoral Commission released a final list of successful contestants for the 2027 elections that omitted some of its candidates. According to the report, the missing names included Ogun governorship candidate Ladi Adebutu and Gombe governorship candidate Ali Pantami. The PDP said through its national publicity secretary that it was already engaging INEC to resolve the matter in line with electoral rules.

The article says the party described the omission as serious and said it would keep supporters informed as discussions continue. It did not say the commission had issued a formal explanation in the same report. The development has also drawn comments from political figures and supporters of the affected candidates.

Former senator Shehu Sani urged excluded candidates not to rush into court, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling on party membership requirements under the Electoral Act. He argued that legal challenges may be unproductive if a candidate did not meet the stated requirements. His comments are general political opinion, not a judicial finding in this story.

The report also said Pantami’s supporters called the omission a temporary issue, while the New Democratic Congress said its Kano governorship candidate, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, remained its flagbearer despite being left off the list. In Bauchi, INEC published candidates for 15 governorship tickets while excluding four parties from the final list.