The deadline for political parties to report discrepancies in the  Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) preliminary list of candidates for the 2027 elections has passed.

This leaves the political futures of former Minister Isa Ali Pantami, former Ogun State governorship candidate Oladipupo Adebutu, and Kano governorship candidate Aminu Gwarzo in a state of uncertainty.

INEC had set October 24 as the cutoff for such complaints, following the publication of the initial list on October 10.

Disputes have arisen as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) contest the exclusion of their respective candidates, asserting that these individuals met all nomination requirements.

This situation arises from a Supreme Court ruling on September 24. The ruling affirmed that political parties must in accordance submit their membership registers to INEC within the designated timeframe and ensure to utilize these registers for party primaries and other internal electoral processes, as stipulated by the Electoral Act 2026.

On its part, INEC stated that it applied this judgment when compiling the final list of governorship candidates.

The PDP maintains that its candidates in Gombe and Ogun states fulfilled the necessary obligations. The party has engaged with INEC regarding these omissions and is considering further legal avenues.

An affidavit was filed at the Federal High Court Registry in Abuja on October 15 by the PDP, specifically challenging the exclusion of Pantami and Adebutu and seeking their reinstatement on the candidate list.

Afolabi Orekoya, Director of Media for the Ladi Adebutu Campaign Organisation, expressed the party’s completion of required procedures and continued hope for Adebutu’s inclusion in an updated list.

Similarly, the PDP chairman in Ogun State, Abayomi Tella, referred to the omission as an error and voiced confidence in INEC’s capacity to rectify it.

In Gombe State, an aide to Pantami indicated that the former minister would explore all available legal recourse, noting that Pantami’s legal team had already communicated with INEC to seek a resolution.

Pantami had become the PDP’s governorship candidate following a court-ordered rerun of the party’s primary on September 29. His name was present on INEC’s provisional list released on August 29 but was notably absent from the final list published in October.

The NDC has also lodged a complaint concerning the exclusion of its Kano State governorship candidate, Gwarzo, and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso. The party reported having communicated with INEC but has not yet received a definitive response.

With all these challenges, the National Association of Achievers Movement (NAAM) has urged INEC to provide an explanation for the exclusion of these three candidates. The group also requested clarity on the criteria used to include other candidates whose nomination processes have reportedly faced scrutiny.

The movement stressed the importance of INEC demonstrating consistent and transparent application of electoral laws across all political parties.

Their statement clarified that they were not advocating for the automatic reinstatement of the excluded candidates or the disqualification of those currently listed, but rather sought a clear explanation of the legal and factual basis underpinning INEC’s decisions.