INEC bars PDP's Pantami, Adebutu from 2027 Gombe, Ogun governorship polls
INEC excluded PDP's Isa Pantami from Gombe and Ladi Adebutu from Ogun State from the final list of candidates for the 6 February 2027 governorship elections, citing their parties' failure to submit membership registers between 21 April and 10 May 2026 as required by Sections 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act 2026. The commission said it applied the rule after winning a Supreme Court case brought by the Zenith Labour Party, which on 24 September upheld the constitutionality of the register‑submission requirement and nullified an earlier Court of Appeal decision that had struck it down. INEC also relied on Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which obliges authorities to enforce court judgments.
The exclusion has sparked debate over the APC's Kingsley Chinda, who registered with the APC on 27 April 2026 and publicly defected from the PDP on 2 June, after the APC held its governorship primary on 21 May. Critics question whether Chinda was a registered APC member when the primary was conducted and whether his name appeared on the membership register submitted to INEC within the required window.
INEC published the final presidential and National Assembly candidate list on 12 September 2026. Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, parties that believe their candidates were wrongly omitted have 14 days from publication to notify the commission, making the deadline 24 October 2026. The governorship election is scheduled for 6 February 2027, while the presidential and National Assembly elections will take place on 16 January 2027.
Will PDP's legal challenges succeed in restoring Pantami and Adebutu to the ballot, or will voters in Gombe and Ogun turn to other parties as the election approaches?