Pantami Makes INEC Updated List As NDC’s Gwarzo Remains Excluded

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has included former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, in its updated list of governorship candidates for the 2027 general elections.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate in Kano State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, however, remains excluded.

The development follows the commission’s review of 130 petitions submitted by political parties and candidates challenging the final lists of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates published on October 10.

INEC had earlier announced that 66 of the 130 petitions were successful, leading to the inclusion of some candidates and political parties previously omitted from the lists.

The commission also rejected complaints it considered without merit and removed names that were wrongly published.

In a statement issued on Thursday by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), the commission explained that the petitions involved several issues, including the omission of political parties, the inclusion of candidates whose names were not found in their parties’ membership registers and allegations of multiple nominations.

“Following a review of the complaints, relevant records and applicable legal provisions, the Commission found merit in some representations and approved the inclusion of affected candidates and their political parties, while complaints found to be without merit were declined,” INEC stated.

According to the commission, it received 69 petitions from 12 political parties across 26 states concerning governorship elections. Of these, 41 were successful, while 28 were rejected.

For the State Houses of Assembly elections, INEC received 61 petitions from 11 political parties across 11 states. Twenty-five petitions succeeded, while 36 were rejected.

The commission had promised that the affected candidates, political parties and states would be reflected in an updated version of the final lists published on its website.

Among the notable developments is the inclusion of Pantami, who is contesting the Gombe State governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The former minister’s appearance on the updated list comes amid earlier reports that INEC had cleared him to participate in the 2027 governorship election following complaints surrounding the initial publication of candidates.

In Kano State, the NDC governorship candidate, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, remains omitted from the updated list in line with a subsisting court order.

Meanwhile, INEC has also rejected a petition by the PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State, Oladipupo Ladi Adebutu, who had sought a review of his exclusion from the candidates’ list.

An official of the commission had earlier confirmed that Adebutu’s petition was unsuccessful.

“He did not succeed,” the official said when asked about the outcome of the Ogun PDP candidate’s appeal.

However, the Ogun State chapter of the PDP rejected reports concerning Adebutu’s exclusion, describing them as fabricated by political opponents.

In a statement dated October 29, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Kayode Adebayo, maintained that Adebutu remained the authentic PDP governorship candidate in the state.

The party argued that no official INEC publication or statement had confirmed his exclusion from the 2027 candidates’ list.

It further insisted that Adebutu remained its legitimate candidate and would appear on the ballot in accordance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.

The Ogun PDP consequently urged its members and supporters to disregard reports suggesting that Adebutu had lost his position as the party’s candidate, maintaining that the party remained united ahead of the governorship election.

INEC, however, reiterated its commitment to transparency and the credibility of the electoral process, assuring political parties and Nigerians that complaints were considered based on relevant records and applicable legal provisions.

“Once again, the Commission assures the public of its commitment to transparency and the credibility of the electoral process,” the commission added.