The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released its final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, with 18 presidential candidates and governorship contenders across 26 states.
The list, published on the commission’s website on Saturday, includes prominent political figures seeking various elective positions, while the omission of some opposition candidates has generated reactions from their political parties and supporters.
Among the presidential candidates listed are President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC). Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde is also listed under the Allied Peoples Movement.
However, some prominent politicians are missing from the list, including former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, who contested the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary in Gombe State, and the party’s Ogun State governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo, was also omitted. Adebutu’s running mate, Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, and the Accord Party’s Ogun governorship candidate, Olaniyi Agbongboakala, were similarly absent.
Pantami’s omission came despite his victory in a fresh PDP governorship primary conducted after a Federal High Court ordered the party to repeat the exercise. He secured 2,024 votes, defeating former House of Representatives member Khamisu Mailantarki, who polled 389 votes, and Usman Aliyu Garry, who received 112 votes.
Reacting to the development, the spokesperson for the Pantamiyya Movement, Professor Suleiman Mohammed, urged supporters to remain calm, describing the omission as a temporary challenge. He expressed hope that the issue would be resolved as the electoral process continued.
In Ogun State, the PDP accused the APC of putting pressure on INEC to exclude Adebutu from the list. The party’s state Publicity Secretary, Kayode Adebayo, maintained that Adebutu had fulfilled the necessary membership and nomination requirements before the deadline.
The PDP expressed confidence that the omission would be addressed, insisting that it remained prepared to contest the governorship election.
Meanwhile, several politicians whose nominations had attracted scrutiny following a Supreme Court judgment were included in the list.
On September 24, 2026, the Supreme Court restored provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 concerning political party membership registers and candidate selection. The provisions require parties to submit their membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before primaries, congresses or conventions.
The ruling had raised questions about the eligibility of some politicians who changed political parties shortly before their nomination exercises. However, the court did not automatically disqualify individual candidates.
Those included in INEC’s list are Kingsley Chinda, the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State; former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, contesting the Delta Central senatorial seat under the NDC; and former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker Victor Ochei, who is contesting the Delta North senatorial seat under the same party.
In Lagos State, the governorship candidates listed include Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the ADC, Obafemi Hamzat of the APC, Doherty Adeshina of the NDC and Doherty Olugbemiga of the PDP.
Other states covered in the publication include Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Rivers and Zamfara.
The release marks a significant step in preparations for the 2027 general elections, although the omission of some candidates has raised questions about their participation and the status of their nominations.
