ABUJA | Media360Impact Report
The race for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections has taken a dramatic turn after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) omitted prominent opposition politicians Ladi Adebutu and Prof. Isa Ali Pantami from its final lists of candidates for Ogun and Gombe states.
The development has raised questions about the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) participation in the two states and opened a fresh chapter in the legal battles surrounding candidate nominations ahead of the elections.
INEC published the final candidate lists on Saturday, October 10, 2026. The Ogun list contains 13 candidates, while Gombe has 16. Neither list includes a PDP governorship candidate or running mate.
The commission’s published documents list the candidates, their political parties and other relevant details but do not state why Adebutu and Pantami were omitted.
The exclusions have intensified political discussions as affected parties consider their next steps under the electoral framework.
Supreme Court Ruling at the Centre of the Dispute
The development comes weeks after the Supreme Court restored provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing political party membership registers and candidate nominations.
On September 24, 2026, the apex court reinstated Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2), which had earlier been invalidated by the Court of Appeal.
The provisions impose requirements relating to party membership registers submitted to INEC and participation in party primaries. Under the restored provisions, only party members whose names appear in the relevant register submitted at least 21 days before a primary, congress or convention may participate in the exercise.
Failure to comply with the statutory requirements could affect a party’s ability to nominate candidates.
The ruling has become a key issue in the controversy surrounding the omitted candidates, although INEC has not publicly attributed the exclusions to a specific legal provision in the published lists.
Adebutu’s Exclusion Sparks PDP Protest
In Ogun State, Adebutu and his running mate are absent from the final list, which includes Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, with Kudirat Abiodun Balogun as his running mate.
The controversy follows earlier allegations by groups, including the Ogun Democratic Accountability Forum, that Adebutu’s name was missing from the PDP membership register submitted to INEC.
The Ogun PDP rejected the allegations, describing them as politically motivated and insisting that Adebutu was a duly registered party member who participated in the nomination process in accordance with the rules.
The party’s Publicity Secretary, Kayode Adebayo, accused the ruling APC of exerting pressure on INEC to exclude its candidate.
Adebayo maintained that Adebutu had registered within the stipulated period, obtained his membership card and emerged as the party’s nominee.
The allegations against the APC remain the PDP’s position and have not been independently established.
Pantami’s Fresh Primary Fails to Secure Place on List
Pantami’s exclusion presents a different challenge for the PDP in Gombe State.
His initial nomination was nullified by a Federal High Court in Gombe following a suit by Usman Garry, who challenged the validity of the process through which Pantami emerged as the party’s candidate.
The court subsequently ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh primary.
The party held another primary on September 29, 2026, across 114 wards, with Pantami emerging victorious. He reportedly secured 2,024 votes, ahead of Khamisu Mailantarki, who received 389 votes, and Garry, who polled 112.
Despite the fresh exercise, Pantami’s name did not appear on INEC’s final list for the state.
His media aide, Professor Suleiman Mohammed Gombe, described the omission as a challenge that could still be addressed through the electoral process.
In a statement issued on October 10, he said the candidate’s legal and liaison teams were engaging with the relevant party structures and INEC to seek clarification and rectification within the period permitted by law.
The statement expressed confidence that the matter could be resolved, while acknowledging the challenges surrounding the nomination.
Kano Candidate Also Missing
The controversy extends beyond the PDP candidates in Ogun and Gombe.
Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State and a former deputy governor, was also reported missing from the final list.
His camp had not issued an official response in the material available at the time of publication.
The omissions have raised broader questions about compliance with electoral requirements and the consequences for parties whose candidates do not appear on the final lists.
What Happens Next?
INEC’s regulations provide a process for political parties to complain when their candidates’ names are missing from published lists.
Under the procedure cited in reports on the development, affected parties have 14 days to submit written complaints supported by the required affidavits from their national chairman and secretary.
The applicable deadlines and filing requirements will be crucial to any effort to challenge the omissions.
For Adebutu and Pantami, the immediate priority is to establish the precise basis for their exclusion and determine whether the available legal remedies can restore their candidacies before the election.
The dispute also highlights the importance of complying with membership registration, primary election and candidate submission requirements well before the final lists are published.
Other Candidates Make the List
While the omissions have dominated attention, several other prominent politicians appear on the published lists for their respective states.
In Lagos, the candidates include Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Obafemi Hamzat of the APC and candidates representing other political parties.
In Kaduna, Isa Ashiru of the ADC, Bawa Usman of the PDP and incumbent Governor Uba Sani of the APC are among those listed.
The published lists also include other candidates whose eligibility and nominations had attracted political attention following the Supreme Court ruling.
A Test for the Parties and the Electoral Process
The omission of the candidates has shifted attention from campaign preparations to the legal and administrative requirements governing the 2027 elections.
For the PDP, the immediate concern is whether it can resolve the disputes and secure representation in Ogun and Gombe. For the affected candidates, the challenge is to establish that their nominations complied with the applicable electoral laws.
For voters, the outcome could determine which parties and candidates remain in contention when the governorship elections take place on February 6, 2027.
Until the disputes are resolved, the status of the affected candidates remains a major issue in the unfolding election preparations.
Source credit: Reporting cross-checked against published reports by Premium Times, TheCable and INEC’s official election notices. Statements attributed to the PDP and Pantami’s media aide should be checked against the original releases before publication.
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