2027: PDP, NDC Threaten to Sue INEC Over Omitted Candidates

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) have threatened to take legal action against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the exclusion of some of their candidates from the final list for the 2027 general elections.

Both parties said they had formally contacted the electoral commission to seek the inclusion of their affected candidates but had yet to receive satisfactory responses.

They warned that they could approach the courts if INEC failed to resolve the matter before the October 24, 2026 deadline.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mohammed Jungudo, and his NDC counterpart, Osa Director, disclosed their parties’ positions in separate interviews, expressing hope that the commission would address the complaints within the period provided by law.

The dispute followed INEC’s publication of the final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections on October 10.

The commission released the list after a Supreme Court judgment concerning political party membership and registration records, but several contestants seeking to participate in the elections were left out.

Among those affected is former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, who is the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State.

The party’s candidate in Ogun State, Oladipupo Adebutu, was also missing from the published list.

Other affected politicians include Aminu Gwarzo, the NDC governorship candidate in Kano State, and Senator Danjuma Tella La’ah in Kaduna State.

The Social Democratic Party’s candidate in Benue State, Professor Sebastine Hon, SAN, was also among those omitted.

The development has raised concerns for the affected parties as preparations for the 2027 elections continue.

The omission of candidates from the final list could affect their participation if the commission does not resolve the complaints or if the parties fail to secure a favourable outcome through the available legal process.

INEC had earlier explained the circumstances surrounding the exclusions in a statement issued on October 13.

According to the commission, some political parties failed to submit their membership registers as required by law, resulting in the omission of their candidates from the final list.

The electoral body also referred to Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which provides a process for political parties to notify the commission when they believe their candidates have been wrongly excluded.

Under the provision and the timeline announced by INEC, affected parties have 14 days from the publication of the list to submit their complaints.

The commission fixed October 24, 2026, as the deadline for the submission of the required notifications, giving the PDP and NDC a limited period to seek administrative remedies before considering further action.

Reacting to the situation, Jungudo said the PDP leadership and the legal representatives of the affected candidates had already begun engaging INEC, but the discussions had not produced any noticeable progress.

He said, “We are still engaging them, but there is a tendency, a likelihood, that we may end up in litigation. As of last Friday, there was no development. Nothing is forthcoming. There is no headway and no development.

“However, if, at the end of the day, we are still within the window provided by the guidelines, we will wait and exhaust the 14 days to see what comes out of it. If nothing comes out of it, then we will have no option other than to explore legal remedies.

“As you can see, Pantami’s lawyers have already written to INEC. We are still hopeful that the 14-day window provided by law will bring us something positive. But if nothing comes out of it, we will explore legal remedies.”

The NDC also confirmed that it had written to INEC over the omission of its candidates.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said the commission had received and acknowledged its letters but had not provided a response addressing the complaints.

Director said, “We have written to the commission, and they have received and acknowledged our letters. We have communicated with them as required by law, but, as of now, they are yet to respond to our letters.

“However, there is still time, as the 14-day window expires on October 24. We are hopeful that the commission will respond before then.

“But if it fails to address the omission of our candidates from the list, we will, as a law-abiding party, take other lawful steps to ensure that the right thing is done.”

The NDC maintained that its decision to pursue further legal remedies would depend on whether INEC addressed its complaints within the stipulated period.