The final candidate list excludes several political heavyweights, while the APC’s review of disputed primaries restores six serving senators and reshapes the race

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday released its final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, excluding several prominent political figures, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, Senator Ned Nwoko and former Gombe State Governor Danjuma Goje, in a development that has ended months of uncertainty over the names appearing on the ballot.

Also read: INEC opens 2027 presidential candidates’ records

The publication of the INEC 2027 candidate list has delivered a significant twist to the political landscape ahead of the elections, with several influential politicians who had featured prominently in the build-up to the polls absent from the final document.

Jonathan’s omission is particularly notable after the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party claimed that it had submitted his name to INEC as its presidential candidate.

The former president, however, does not appear among the presidential candidates published by the electoral commission.

Other prominent politicians missing from the final list include Nwoko, who represents Delta North Senatorial District; former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel, who previously represented Ogun East; former Gombe State Governor Goje, representing Gombe Central; and Senator Garba Maidoki of Kebbi South.

The development comes about two months after Senate President Godswill Akpabio assured lawmakers who lost their return tickets during the All Progressives Congress primary elections that the party leadership was working to resolve grievances arising from the contentious exercise.

The APC subsequently reviewed petitions submitted to its Primary Election Appeal Committee and reinstated six serving senators.

However, the final list released by INEC shows that several other political heavyweights who had hoped to benefit from the review process ultimately remained outside the 2027 race.

In Delta State, Nwoko’s name was absent from the list displayed at the INEC office in Asaba, with former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa listed as the APC’s senatorial candidate for Delta North.

The development effectively confirms Nwoko’s earlier defeat in the APC senatorial primary.

A similar outcome emerged in Gombe State, where Goje, a former governor and long-serving senator, lost the APC ticket to retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohammed Ahmed.

On the opposition side, former Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo secured the PDP nomination for Gombe North, while Senator Anthony Siyako emerged as the party’s candidate for Gombe South.

The final list also contains notable absences in Bauchi State, where two serving federal lawmakers will not return to the National Assembly through the 2027 elections.

The affected lawmakers are Senator Shehu Buba, who represents Bauchi South, and Mansur Soro, representing Darazo/Ganjuwa Federal Constituency.

Buba, who was elected on the APC platform, is not seeking re-election after leaving the ruling party for the Peoples Redemption Party, where he secured the governorship ticket.

Soro, meanwhile, had earlier announced that he would not contest for the Bauchi Central senatorial seat or seek another term in the House of Representatives.

The final list follows an internal APC review that overturned some earlier primary results and reinstated six serving senators after the party’s appeal committee considered petitions from aggrieved aspirants.

The review covered nine states, including Kogi, Benue, Taraba, Ondo, Abia, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna and Ebonyi.

The lawmakers reinstated by the APC were Senators Sunday Karimi, Emmanuel Udende, Titus Zam, Shuaibu Isa Lau, Adeniyi Adegbonmire and Olajide Ipinsagba.

In Abia State, Prince Paul Ikonne also replaced Edinburgh Uchenna Erondu as the APC’s candidate for Abia South.

One of the most striking reversals occurred in Benue State, where the APC overturned former Governor Gabriel Suswam’s earlier victory and restored incumbent Senator Emmanuel Udende as its candidate.

The sequence of events highlights the considerable influence of party primary disputes in determining the shape of the 2027 elections.

While the APC’s appeal process succeeded in restoring some serving lawmakers, it did not produce a blanket reversal of contested primary outcomes.

The release of the final INEC list therefore provides greater clarity on the candidates who will proceed to the next stage of the electoral process, while also drawing a line under the hopes of politicians whose names failed to appear.

For some of the affected figures, the outcome represents a significant political setback.

For others, including those who secured alternative party tickets or opted against seeking another term, the 2027 elections mark a shift in political direction rather than an outright withdrawal from public life.

Also read: ADC alleges dangerous bias by INEC, police ahead of 2027

With the final list now published, attention is expected to turn to the campaign season and the legal and political battles that may follow as candidates and parties prepare for what is shaping up to be another fiercely contested general election.