The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) have threatened to take the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court if it fails to address the exclusion of their candidates from the list for the 2027 governorship elections.
The two parties said they had written to INEC over the matter but were still waiting for a response ahead of the October 24 deadline set by the commission.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mohammed Jungudo, and his NDC counterpart, Osa Director, disclosed this in separate interviews with journalists.
INEC published its final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections on October 10, leaving out several contestants following a Supreme Court judgment on party membership and registration records.
The list, signed by the commission’s secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, contained 13 candidates.
Among those excluded were former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Professor Isa Pantami, the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State, and the party’s candidate in Ogun State, Oladipupo Adebutu.
Others affected included the New Democratic Congress candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo; former Senator Danjuma Tella La’ah in Kaduna State; and the Social Democratic Party candidate in Benue State, Professor Sebastine Hon (SAN).
In a statement issued on October 13, INEC said some candidates were left out because their parties failed to submit their membership registers as required by law.
The commission cited Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which allows parties that believe their candidates were wrongly excluded to notify INEC within 14 days of the publication of the list.
The deadline for submitting such complaints is October 24, 2026.
Jungudo said the PDP leadership and the legal teams of the affected candidates had contacted INEC, but there had been no progress.
“We are still engaging them, but there is a tendency, a likelihood, that we may end up in litigation. As of last week Friday, there was no development. There is nothing forthcoming. There is no headway and no development,” he told The Punch.
He added that the party would wait until the 14-day period ended before deciding on its next move.
“If nothing comes out of it, then we will have no option other than to explore legal remedies,” Jungudo said.
He noted that Pantami’s lawyers had already written to the commission but said the party remained hopeful that INEC would resolve the matter before the deadline.
The NDC also said it was prepared to take further legal steps if the commission failed to address the exclusion of its candidates.
Director said the party had sent letters to INEC and received acknowledgements but had yet to get a response.
“We have written to the commission, and they have received and acknowledged our letters. We have communicated with them as required by law, but, as of now, they are yet to respond to our letters,” he said.
He expressed hope that the commission would respond before October 24, when the 14-day period expires.
“But if it fails to address the omission of our candidates from the list, we will, as a law-abiding party, take other lawful steps to ensure that the right thing is done,” he added.
