A Supreme Court ruling on party membership registers has thrown the February 6, 2027 governorship elections in three states into fresh uncertainty, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) dropped the names of Isa Pantami and Ladi Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates in Gombe and Ogun, and Aminu Gwarzo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate in Kano, from its final lists.
The omissions trace back to the apex court’s September 24 judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), which restored the validity of Sections 77(5), (6) and (7) and Section 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026. Those provisions stop political parties from sponsoring candidates whose names were not in the membership registers they submitted to INEC within the stipulated period. The commission gave no public reason for the omissions, but the Supreme Court ruling appears to be the only legal ground that explains them.
For now, none of the three men is listed to contest on his party’s platform. Unless the gaps are closed through the available legal and electoral channels, the PDP in Gombe and Ogun, and the NDC in Kano, could go into the 2027 race without the candidates they nominated. The final lists, signed by the INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, and published on the commission’s website, name 16 governorship candidates in Gombe and 13 in Ogun, with no PDP candidate in either state.
In Gombe, Pantami, who left the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the PDP on May 19, had earlier appeared on INEC’s provisional list of August 29. He became the party’s candidate by winning a September 29 rerun primary against Khamisu Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry. The rerun followed a Federal High Court order in Gombe nullifying the first primary, after a challenge by an aspirant, Ahmed Mailantarki. But the fresh primary did not answer the separate question of compliance with the membership-register provisions, which moved to the centre of the matter after the Supreme Court judgment.
Pantami called his omission a temporary challenge and urged supporters to stay calm. In a statement signed by Professor Suleiman Mohammed Gombe, his camp said its legal and liaison teams were working with the relevant PDP organs and INEC to comply with the court order and correct the omission within the time the law allows.
In Ogun, the absence of Adebutu and his running mate, Kolapo-Sowunmi, has left the PDP ticket in doubt. Speculation has centred on whether Adebutu’s name was in the register sent to INEC, although the commission has not confirmed that as the reason. The Ogun PDP rejects any suggestion that its candidate fell short of the membership requirement and alleges that the ruling party pressed INEC to shut him out. Its publicity secretary, Kayode Adebayo, said Adebutu registered within the stipulated period and that his membership card was printed, verified and submitted to the commission on time. The party asked residents to remain calm, saying it is confident the omission will be resolved.
In Kano, Gwarzo’s absence leaves the NDC without a listed governorship candidate. The state chairman, Husaini Mairiga, maintains that Gwarzo remains the party’s candidate, but that claim alone does not show he can appear on the ballot until the issue is settled.
The omissions could reshape the contests by leaving the affected parties with fewer options as election day nears, depending on whether any lawful remedy is still open. Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, parties have 14 days to notify INEC in writing, with an affidavit, when a nominated candidate’s name is missing. How that provision applies to the three cases, and whether corrective action is still possible, will go a long way in deciding the candidates’ fate.
INEC released the lists after its chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, promised to publish the names of candidates cleared for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections. What the commission does next, together with any court action or corrective steps by the affected parties, will determine whether the omissions stand and how the races in Gombe, Ogun and Kano take shape.
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