“Bring Formal Complaints Over Omitted Candidates” — INEC To Announce Position On Supreme Court Electoral Act Judgment Today

The Independent National Electoral Commission will today make public its position on the Supreme Court judgment which affirmed the constitutionality of sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026 and upheld the commission’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 elections.

The announcement comes as four political parties protest the omission of their candidates from the final list published on Saturday, and as the commission tells them to bring formal complaints rather than rely on media reports.

The INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, confirmed on Tuesday that the commission has received the certified true copy of the judgment and that it is being reviewed.

He is to meet top officials of the commission today to conclude the commission’s stance, the commission having been, in his account, under pressure from all quarters to state it.

“The meeting will definitely hold tomorrow and a statement would be issued to state our position,” he said.

A statement is to be released to the public immediately after the meeting.

Professor Amupitan said the commission had received 112 formal complaints from aspirants, candidates and political parties concerning the nomination process, and had investigated and resolved all of them except those pending before the courts.

The judgment was delivered on 24 September. Since then there have been growing concerns over its implications, particularly for candidates who changed political parties after their former parties had conducted or commenced nomination exercises.

There has also been debate as to whether the commission has power to disqualify candidates on its own on the strength of the judgment.

The commission released the names of governorship and state assembly candidates on Saturday to meet statutory obligations. That release, according to findings reported in the source material, was done without recourse to the Supreme Court judgment.

The commission has asked political parties complaining about the omission of their candidates from the final list to formally present their grievances to the commission rather than rely on media reports, indicating that it would not respond to reports of omitted candidates merely on the basis of media publications.

The parties affected are the Peoples Democratic Party, the African Democratic Congress, the Social Democratic Party and the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress has opted to engage the commission in an attempt to resolve the discrepancies administratively.

Its National Publicity Secretary, [Araba] Director, said the party had not approached the court because discussions with the commission were still ongoing.

“We have not gone to court. As a party, we are still discussing with INEC to arrive on the same 14-day window provided by the Electoral Act 2026 to correct the errors that are noted in the publication.”

He said the party was exploring “all legal and constitutional means” to ensure that its candidates were duly recognised, and the party maintained that it would not leave the matter to chance and would deploy available constitutional and legal processes to secure the inclusion of its affected candidates.

In Kano State, the NDC governorship candidate, Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo, and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, were omitted from the final list.

The NDC House of Representatives candidate in Kano, Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim Kotamata, attributed the omission to an error in entering the candidates’ details, and said the party had received assurances that the commission was working to address the matter. He maintained that Mr. Gwarzo completed his registration within the stipulated period and that the party submitted his details through the commission’s online portal.

In Cross River State, the NDC governorship candidate, John Upan Odey Jr., described his omission as a “bureaucratic error”, adding that candidates in other states were similarly affected.

The Social Democratic Party said it had taken a different route and had already activated a legal process.

Its National Publicity Secretary, [Araba] Rufus Abiyegba, said the party had prepared an affidavit and served the commission as part of steps to challenge the omission.

“We have done the affidavit, we are with it, we have served INEC. We have hope in the judiciary; the process, we have activated it.”

In Benue State, the SDP governorship candidate, Professor Sebastian Hon, SAN, expressed optimism that his omission would be corrected.

The Peoples Democratic Party said it had commenced engagement with the commission to resolve omissions affecting its candidates in accordance with the Electoral Act and the commission’s guidelines.

Its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, said the party was treating the development seriously and would pursue the necessary steps to address questions surrounding the recognition of its candidates.

The party’s governorship candidates in Oyo and Gombe States were among those reported missing from the final list.

In Ogun State, the PDP governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebulu, said his omission did not mark the end of his ambition, insisting that he completed his digital registration and submitted the required documentation within the prescribed period.

The post “Bring Formal Complaints Over Omitted Candidates” — INEC To Announce Position On Supreme Court Electoral Act Judgment Today appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.