INEC Opens Crucial 14-Day Appeal Window for Excluded 2027 Governorship Candidates

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced a 14-day window for political parties to appeal the exclusion of their governorship candidates from the final list for the 2027 general election. Parties believing their candidates were wrongfully omitted must notify the commission by October 24, 2026. This directive was issued in a clarification on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.

The commission’s decision to exclude certain candidates, including notable figures like Gombe State governorship aspirant Isa Ali Pantami and Ogun State candidate Ladi Adebutu, stems from a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026. The landmark ruling in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party (Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026) upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026. This section makes the submission of political parties' membership registers a mandatory prerequisite for conducting valid party primaries.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court affirmed Item No. 2 of INEC’s own timetable and schedule of activities, which had stipulated that political parties submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026. The court unequivocally stated that any political party failing to comply with these provisions would be ineligible to sponsor candidates for the election. In adherence to Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, INEC applied this crucial Supreme Court decision when finalizing the list of governorship candidates.

INEC explained that the impact of this judgment specifically fell on the governorship candidates' list because its finalization process was underway *after* the Supreme Court’s ruling. In contrast, the final lists for presidential and National Assembly candidates had already been published on September 12, 2026, which was 13 days *prior* to the Supreme Court delivering its judgment, thus making them unaffected by this particular legal interpretation.

Recognizing the provision in Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which allows political parties to notify the commission within 14 days of publication if they believe their candidates were unjustly excluded, INEC set the October 24, 2026, deadline. The commission reiterated its unwavering commitment to upholding transparency, the rule of law, and ensuring the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.