The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved 41 petitions challenging the final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship elections while rejecting 28 others submitted by political parties across the country.
The commission also approved 25 petitions relating to candidates for the State Houses of Assembly elections, while rejecting 36 others, bringing the total number of petitions approved across both categories to 66 out of 130 received.
INEC disclosed the figures in a statement issued on Thursday, October 29, by the Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, following a review of complaints submitted after the publication of the final candidate lists on October 10, 2026.
According to the commission, it received 69 petitions from 12 political parties across 26 states concerning governorship candidates. For the State Houses of Assembly elections, it received 61 petitions from 11 political parties across 11 states.
The complaints centred on the omission of political parties from the published lists, the inclusion of candidates whose names were allegedly absent from membership registers submitted by their parties, and cases of alleged multiple nominations.
INEC said it examined the complaints alongside relevant records and applicable legal provisions before reaching its decisions. It approved requests where it found sufficient grounds for inclusion and rejected those it considered without merit.
The commission also confirmed that some candidates initially included in the final lists had been removed after verification established that their names were not contained in the membership registers submitted by their political parties. Other candidates were removed because their nominations were found to be inconsistent with applicable legal requirements.
The review has attracted attention because of the earlier exclusion of several prominent politicians from the published lists. Among them were former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State, and Ladi Adebutu, the party’s candidate in Ogun State.
INEC spokesperson Mohammed Haruna told TheCable that Pantami’s petition was successful, although his candidacy remained subject to the outcome of a pending court case. Haruna also confirmed that Adebutu’s petition seeking a review of his exclusion had been rejected.
The commission did not identify all the affected candidates and political parties in its statement. It said the names of successful candidates, affected parties and states would be reflected in an updated version of the candidate lists to be published on its official website.
The dispute over the candidate lists follows a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, which affirmed the constitutionality of provisions in Sections 77(5) to 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026. The provisions require political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC within the stipulated period and establish conditions governing the participation of party members in nomination processes.
INEC had relied on the legal requirements when explaining why some candidates and political parties were omitted from the initial lists. The commission maintained that its decisions were guided by the Electoral Act and the relevant court judgment.
The latest review comes amid wider political and legal disputes involving party leadership, candidate nominations and the preparations for the 2027 general elections. TheDailyNewsHub previously reported on Action Alliance’s allegations against INEC over its handling of court judgments ahead of the 2027 polls.
INEC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and the credibility of the electoral process, assuring political parties and candidates that complaints were considered based on the available records and applicable laws.
The commission said it would publish the updated candidate lists to reflect the outcome of the review.