The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has defended the omission of some candidates from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections, citing political parties’ failure to comply with mandatory membership register requirements.
INEC said the decision followed a September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgment affirming the constitutionality of Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires political parties to submit their membership registers before conducting valid primaries.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission applied the Supreme Court ruling when finalising the list of governorship candidates.
According to the commission, the Supreme Court held that the provisions of Section 77(5)-(7) “are constitutional and mandatory for all political parties.”
INEC explained that the judgment arose from its appeal against a Court of Appeal decision that had nullified the provisions requiring parties to submit their membership registers as a prerequisite for valid party primaries.
The commission said the Supreme Court upheld the requirement that political parties submit their membership registers within the period stipulated in its timetable.
It noted that the court also upheld INEC’s timetable, which required political parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
INEC further quoted the judgment as holding that failure to comply with the statutory requirements “renders the defaulting political parties ineligible to sponsor any candidate for the election.”
The commission said it relied on the ruling in preparing the final list of governorship candidates, excluding political parties that failed to meet the requirements.
It added that the decision was taken in accordance with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires compliance with judicial decisions.
INEC, however, clarified that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had already been published on September 12, 2026, before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.
The commission said affected political parties still had an opportunity to notify it if they believed their candidates had been wrongly omitted.
“Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly left off the list have 14 days from the date of publication to notify the Commission,” the statement said.
INEC fixed October 24, 2026, as the deadline for the submission of such notifications.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process.