INEC 2027 candidate clearance sees Pantami approved, Adebutu’s petition rejected and Gwarzo’s Kano candidacy complicated by pending litigation.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), chaired by Professor Joash Amupitan, has rejected a petition by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Ladi Adebutu in Abuja, while confirming the clearance of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election, following a review of complaints concluded on Thursday, 29 October 2026.

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The decision has also placed the political future of Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, Kano State Deputy Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship aspirant, under renewed scrutiny, with his candidacy affected by an outstanding court order.

The electoral commission’s review resulted in 66 successful petitions and 64 rejected complaints relating to the final lists of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections.

An official statement signed by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, confirmed that the commission considered complaints arising from the publication of the final candidates’ lists on 10 October.

According to the commission, the petitions involved allegations concerning the omission of political parties, the inclusion of candidates whose names were absent from their parties’ membership registers and instances of multiple nominations.

Haruna explained that the commission examined the complaints alongside relevant records and applicable legal provisions before reaching its decisions.

“Following a review of the complaints, relevant records and applicable legal provisions, the Commission found merit in some representations and approved the inclusion of affected candidates and their political parties, while complaints found to be without merit were declined,” he said.

Adebutu’s petition was among those rejected, leaving the Ogun State PDP governorship candidate facing a significant challenge ahead of the 2027 election.

An INEC source told The PUNCH that Adebutu’s name was absent from the original list of candidates submitted to the commission by the PDP, a development that undermined his request for reconsideration.

“His petition was rejected because his name was not included in the list of candidates originally submitted to INEC by the PDP,” the source said.

The development follows the commission’s initial decision to exclude Adebutu and the PDP from its final list of candidates for the 6 February 2027 Ogun governorship election.

The omission had generated controversy within the opposition party, particularly over compliance with electoral requirements governing party membership registers.

The PDP had maintained that Adebutu was a properly registered member of the party, while the dispute raised broader questions about the documentation required for political parties to sponsor candidates.

Pantami, meanwhile, secured a favourable outcome following weeks of uncertainty surrounding his eligibility to contest the Gombe governorship election.

The former minister had also been absent from INEC’s final candidates’ list published on 10 October, prompting legal representations from the PDP and his legal team.

His candidacy had become complicated by internal party disagreements and litigation surrounding the party’s governorship primary.

A Federal High Court sitting in Gombe nullified an earlier PDP governorship primary on 24 September 2026 and directed the party to conduct a fresh exercise.

The PDP subsequently organised another primary on 29 September, which Pantami won with 2,054 votes, defeating Khamisu Mailantarki, who secured 389 votes, and Aliyu Garry, who received 112 votes.

Despite the outcome, questions remained over the membership register submitted to INEC and the validity of the nomination process.

Pantami’s lawyers subsequently issued a three-day ultimatum to the commission, demanding the publication of his name on the final candidates’ list.

The latest review has now resolved the immediate administrative obstacle, with an INEC source confirming that the former minister had been cleared to contest in Gombe State.

The situation involving Gwarzo is more complicated.

The Kano deputy governor’s candidacy was affected by an ex parte order issued by the Federal High Court, which restrained INEC from publishing his name.

An INEC source told The PUNCH that Gwarzo would otherwise have satisfied the requirements for inclusion but for the court order.

“He would have scaled through, but unfortunately, there was an ex parte order from the Federal High Court barring INEC from publishing his name. That was the reason he was not cleared,” the source explained.

However, reports by other Nigerian media organisations have described Gwarzo’s position as a provisional clearance subject to the outcome of pending litigation.

The distinction is important because the commission’s official statement did not publicly identify individual candidates affected by its decisions.

Consequently, Gwarzo’s final eligibility should be understood in the context of the outstanding judicial proceedings rather than as a definitive rejection of his political ambition.

The broader review covered a total of 130 petitions submitted by political parties across different states.

For governorship elections, INEC received 69 petitions from 12 political parties across 26 states. Of these, 41 were successful, while 28 were rejected.

For State Houses of Assembly elections, the commission received 61 petitions from 11 political parties across 11 states. Twenty-five succeeded, while 36 were unsuccessful.

The figures indicate that the commission approved slightly more than half of the petitions considered, reflecting the scale of disputes surrounding candidate nominations ahead of the next general elections.

INEC also confirmed that some candidates whose names had been wrongly included in the original lists would be removed after verification established that they were absent from their respective political parties’ membership registers.

Other candidates were removed because their nominations did not satisfy applicable legal requirements.

The controversy is rooted partly in the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, particularly Section 77(5) to (7), which makes the submission of political party membership registers to INEC a statutory requirement.

The commission had previously referred to a Supreme Court judgment delivered on 24 September 2026, which affirmed the constitutionality of the relevant provisions.

The legal requirements have since become a significant consideration in determining whether political parties can validly sponsor candidates for elective offices.

For the 2027 elections, the latest decisions represent an important stage in the process of resolving disputes over party nominations and candidate eligibility.

INEC said the names of affected candidates, political parties and states would be reflected in an updated candidates’ list to be published on its official website.

The commission also reiterated its commitment to transparency, legal compliance and the credibility of the electoral process.

With the updated list expected to provide further clarity, attention will now turn to the remaining court proceedings and the ability of affected political parties to resolve their nomination disputes before the election timetable advances.

For Adebutu, the rejection represents a setback in Ogun State’s governorship contest.

For Pantami, the decision offers an important breakthrough after weeks of uncertainty. Gwarzo’s position, however, remains tied to the outcome of the legal process.

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The contrasting developments underline the growing importance of electoral compliance and judicial decisions in shaping Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.