INEC Gives Pantami, Adebutu, Gwarzo, Others 14 Days To Appeal Exclusion

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given political events whose governorship candidates have been excluded from the ultimate listing for the 2027 election 14 days to inform the fee in the event that they consider the exclusion was wrongful.

INEC mentioned the deadline for affected political events to submit their complaints is October 24, 2026.

The fee disclosed this in a clarification issued on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.

The clarification follows the current exclusion of some candidates, together with Gombe State governorship aspirant Isa Ali Pantami, Ogun State candidate Ladi Adebutu and different politicians, from the ultimate listing of candidates for the 2027 governorship election.

INEC defined that the motion was primarily based on the Supreme Court judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, delivered on September 24, 2026.

According to the fee, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which makes the submission of political events’ membership registers a compulsory requirement for conducting legitimate occasion primaries.

The court docket additionally upheld Item No. 2 of INEC’s timetable and schedule of actions, which required political events to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.

INEC mentioned the Supreme Court additional dominated that political events that did not adjust to the provisions have been ineligible to sponsor candidates for the election.

The fee acknowledged that, in compliance with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, it utilized the Supreme Court’s determination when finalising the listing of governorship candidates, excluding political events that failed to fulfill the statutory requirement.

It defined that the choice affected the governorship candidates’ listing as a result of it was being finalised after the Supreme Court judgment.

However, INEC famous that the ultimate lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had already been printed on September 12, 2026, 13 days earlier than the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.

The fee mentioned Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, permits political events that consider their candidates have been wrongly excluded from the listing to inform it inside 14 days of publication.

It consequently mounted October 24, 2026, because the deadline for affected events to submit their complaints.

INEC reaffirmed its dedication to transparency, the rule of regulation and the credibility of the electoral course of