INEC excludes PDP's Pantami and Adebutu from 2027 governorship lists in Gombe and Ogun
INEC's final candidate list for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections shows PDP's Isa Pantami excluded from Gombe State and Ladi Adebutu from Ogun State, while APC's Kingsley Chinda appears as Rivers State candidate. The exclusions stem from a September 24 Supreme Court ruling restoring Electoral Act 2026 provisions requiring parties to submit membership registers to INEC before primaries, making only those on the register eligible to participate. Pantami's omission follows a Federal High Court nullification of his initial PDP nomination in Gombe on September 24, which ordered a fresh primary—he won the September 29 rerun but apparently failed register compliance. Adebutu's absence stems from allegations by Ogun Democratic Accountability Forum and Elections Integrity Watch that his name was missing from PDP's submitted INEC register, though the party denies this. Chinda's candidacy faces questions since he defected from PDP to APC on June 2, 2026, after APC's May 21 primary, raising doubts about his APC membership status during the primary. The lists show 16 candidates for Gombe, 13 for Ogun, and 17 for Rivers, with PDP having no listed candidate in Gombe or Ogun. Other cleared incumbents include APC governors in Niger, Plateau, Akwa Ibom, Kano, Benue, Kebbi, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Taraba, and Zamfara.
This matters because it directly affects voter choices in three key states ahead of the 2027 elections, highlighting ongoing tensions over party primary compliance that could lead to further legal challenges or last-minute ballot changes. Voters in Gombe, Ogun, and Rivers should monitor INEC updates for potential list revisions, especially as the Supreme Court ruling empowers challenges to candidates based on register technicalities. With PDP absent in two states and Rivers' APC candidate under scrutiny, voters may need to consider alternative parties or independent candidates where their preferred option is disqualified.
Will you verify your preferred candidate's eligibility through INEC's portal before voting, or consider how these party primary disputes might influence your choice between major parties, smaller parties like LP or ADC, or independent candidates in your state?