CITIZENS COMPASS— As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) published its final list towards the 2027 general elections, the names of two prominent governorship candidates were conspicuously missing from the list.
The candidates are both from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ladi Adebutu (Ogun State) and Isa Ali Pantami (Gombe State).
The lists, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony and published on the INEC website on Saturday, show 13 candidates in Ogun and 16 in Gombe, none of them from the PDP.
Adebutu’s omission comes amid questions over his name’s absence from the PDP membership register submitted to INEC. Some groups had raised concerns about his eligibility after alleging that his name was missing from the register.
The Ogun PDP rejected the allegations, insisting that Adebutu was a registered member and that the party had complied with the legal requirements for membership registration and submission of its register to INEC.
In Gombe, Pantami’s absence follows a court dispute over the process that produced him as the PDP’s governorship candidate.
The Federal High Court in Gombe had, on September 24, nullified his initial emergence and ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary within 30 days, after finding that the earlier exercise did not comply with the party’s procedures and applicable electoral laws.
Pantami subsequently won the rerun primary conducted on September 29, defeating Khamisu Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry.
The lists carry no explanation for the omissions.
INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, said last week that parties which failed to comply with the membership-register requirements would not be allowed to field affected candidates or substitute them.
According to Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, parties have 14 days to tell INEC in writing, with an affidavit, if a nominated candidate’s name is missing.
…The PUNCH
