•Gombe, Ogun, Kano Record Casualties**
.Pantami, Adebutu, Gwarzo Dropped**
A recent Supreme Court judgment upholding Electoral Act provisions on party membership registers has cast uncertainty over the participation of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidates in Gombe and Ogun states for the February 6, 2027 elections.
Relying on the judgment, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expunged the names of two PDP governorship candidates: Isa Pantami (Gombe) and Ladi Adebutu (Ogun).
Similarly, the electoral umpire also dropped the name of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo, from the final list.
The development has raised critical questions about the implications of the apex court’s September 24 ruling for electoral contests across the three states.
The ruling in *INEC v. Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)* restored the strict validity of Sections 77(5), (6), and (7), as well as Section 84(2) of the Electoral Act. These provisions restrict political parties from sponsoring candidates whose names are not contained in their official membership registers submitted to INEC within the stipulated timeframe.
The omission of Pantami, Adebutu, and Gwarzo means none of the three candidates is currently listed by INEC to contest the governorship elections on their respective party platforms. Unless these omissions are successfully addressed through applicable legal and electoral processes, the affected parties could be left without their preferred standard-bearers on the 2027 ballot.
INEC’s final lists, signed by its Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, and published on the commission’s website, showed 16 governorship candidates in Gombe and 13 in Ogun, with no PDP candidate listed in either state.
Although the commission did not explicitly state the specific reasons for omitting the candidates, the Supreme Court ruling remains the only legal premise for their disqualification.
In Gombe, Pantami—who defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP on May 19—had initially appeared on INEC’s provisional list published on August 29. His emergence as the PDP candidate followed a rerun primary on September 29, which he won against Khamisu Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry.
The rerun was conducted after a Federal High Court in Gombe nullified an earlier primary following a challenge by Ahmed Mailantarki, an aspirant who contested the PDP ticket. However, the subsequent primary failed to resolve the separate question of compliance with the mandatory membership-register provisions of the Electoral Act.
Reacting to his omission, Pantami described the development as a temporary hurdle in the electoral process and urged his supporters to remain calm. In a statement signed by Professor Suleiman Mohammed Gombe, his camp said its legal and liaison teams are engaging with relevant PDP organs and INEC to ensure compliance with the court order and correct the omission within the period allowed by law.
In Ogun State, the absence of Adebutu and his running mate, Kolapo-Sowunmi, from the final list has thrown the PDP’s ticket into jeopardy. Speculation has centered on whether Adebutu’s name was duly included in the membership register submitted to INEC, though the commission has not publicly confirmed that as the reason for his exclusion.
The Ogun PDP has strongly rejected any suggestion that its candidate failed to meet membership requirements, alleging instead that the ruling party mounted pressure on INEC to drop him.
The party’s Publicity Secretary, Kayode Adebayo, insisted that Adebutu registered within the stipulated period, adding that his membership card was printed, verified, and submitted to the commission on time. The party urged residents to remain calm, expressing confidence that the omission would be resolved.
In Kano, Gwarzo’s omission leaves the NDC without a listed governorship candidate. Although state party chairman Husaini Mairiga maintains that Gwarzo remains the party’s flagbearer, that position does not automatically secure him a spot on the ballot without a formal resolution of the statutory issue.
For Gombe and Ogun, the PDP faces the prospect of entering the governorship contests without the candidates it originally nominated, while the NDC faces a similar crisis in Kano.
These omissions could dramatically reshape the political landscape, leaving the affected parties with limited options as election day approaches. However, under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, political parties have 14 days to notify INEC in writing—accompanied by an affidavit—where a nominated candidate’s name is omitted.
The precise application of that provision to the circumstances of the three candidates, and whether any corrective action can still be legally pursued, will determine their final status on the ballot.
INEC released the final list following a commitment by its chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, to publish the names of candidates cleared for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections. The commission’s next steps, alongside legal actions or corrective measures pursued by the affected parties, will ultimately determine how this unfolding drama impacts the polls in Gombe, Ogun, and Kano.
