The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cleared former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, to contest the election, subject to the outcome of pending court cases, rejecting Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu’s request to be included in the list of candidates for the 2027 elections.
A source at INEC shared the development after the commission’s meeting on Thursday, explaining that about 36 of the 69 petitions submitted by political parties over omitted governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates were successful.
“We received a total of 69 petitions from political parties. Some of them were successful, I think about 36, and the rest didn’t succeed,” the source said.
The official added that INEC was still waiting for its legal department to conclude the final figures and prepare a formal statement on the decisions.
On Pantami, the source confirmed that the commission had cleared his candidacy but noted that the pending court case could still affect the final outcome.
“Yes, Pantami has been cleared,” the source said when asked about the former minister’s candidacy in Gombe State.
Gwarzo also received the commission’s approval, although INEC said his clearance would depend on the court’s final decision on the dispute over his candidacy.
“Because of the court case, the court may rule otherwise. So his approval is subject to whatever the court finally decides,” the source said.
The official added that INEC had no objection to either Pantami or Gwarzo contesting the election, provided the legal issues were resolved.
“But we have no issues with their contesting as candidates,” the source added.
However, Adebutu’s effort to reverse his exclusion from the final list of governorship candidates in Ogun State was unsuccessful.
“He did not succeed,” the INEC source said.
The decisions followed complaints from candidates and political parties after INEC left some names out of the lists it published ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Pantami and Gwarzo were among the prominent governorship candidates whose names were missing from the list released by the commission in October.
INEC had explained that the omissions were linked to alleged failure by some political parties to comply with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, requiring them to submit their membership registers.
The commission said its position was based on a September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgment that upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5) to (7) of the Electoral Act, which makes the submission of party membership registers compulsory
Gwarzo had gone to court to challenge the omission of his name and that of his running mate, Rabiu Mustapha, from the list of governorship candidates in Kano State.
In an originating summons dated October 20, 2026, he asked the court to declare their exclusion unlawful and direct INEC to recognise them as the NDC’s governorship candidates.
Pantami’s candidacy has also faced a legal challenge, with the INEC source saying a court proceeding was expected on Friday.
Meanwhile, Adebutu had challenged his exclusion from the Ogun State governorship list, maintaining that he remained a registered PDP member and had met the party’s membership registration requirements.
INEC is expected to release an official statement detailing the outcome of its review of the petitions.
