INEC to decide on Pantami, Gwarzo, Adebutu, others today – Daily Trust

By Musa Luka Musa, Ibrahim Yusuf, Abuja & Salim Umar Ibrahim, Kano

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will today, take a last choice on the possibilities of candidates nominated by some political events whose names didn’t seem on the record of these cleared by the fee to contest the 2027 elections.

The record launched on October 10, had excluded governorship candidates like the previous Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, who was nominated by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Gombe State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, governorship candidate for Kano State; the Kaduna NDC governorship candidate, Senator Danjuma Laah; the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate for Benue State, Sebastine Hon and lots of others.

A supply at INEC instructed Daily Trust yesterday that the same old weekly assembly with prime officers of the fee will maintain today and that the problem of the omitted candidates will probably be handled.

“There will be the week’s commission meeting tomorrow, (today), God willing. And most likely, we will conclude the Pantami/Gwarzo & co matter by the end of the meeting,” he said.

INEC had after the discharge of the record on October 10, defined that some candidates have been excluded from the record as a result of their political events failed to submit membership registers as required by regulation.

The fee stated the exclusion adopted a September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgement affirming the constitutionality of Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which makes the submission of membership registers obligatory for political events.

National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, had defined in a press assertion that the Supreme Court, in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, upheld the provisions requiring events to submit their membership registers earlier than conducting legitimate primaries.

The fee defined that it utilized the judgement whereas finalising the governorship candidates’ record in compliance with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires authorities to give impact to choices of superior courts.

It added that the ultimate lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had already been revealed on September 12, 2026, 13 days earlier than the Supreme Court delivered its judgement.

INEC stated political events that believed their candidates had been wrongly omitted may notify the fee in accordance with Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, saying the deadline for such notifications was October 24, 2026.

Following the affirmation of the submission of petitions by affected candidates and the promise by INEC to take a last choice on the matter by today, Thursday twenty ninth, it’s anticipated that for the reason that INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has returned from an official journey to Gombe State and will probably be attending the assembly, coupled with the stress mounted by political events and candidates, the fee will not delay the matter.

INEC is predicted to contemplate the petitions following the expiration of the statutory window for difficult nominations.

Another senior official on the fee confirmed to Daily Trust that the fee would maintain a gathering today.

A supply inside the fee had earlier instructed the newspaper that a number of petitions have been obtained earlier than the deadline and have been being reviewed by the related departments forward of consideration by the fee.

The omissions got here amid disputes over compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing celebration primaries, nomination of candidates and the publication of candidates’ particulars.

INEC had earlier indicated that aggrieved events and different eligible individuals may problem candidates’ particulars inside the prescribed interval after publication.

The fee stated it will look at the petitions in keeping with the relevant regulation and decide the suitable motion.

INEC is predicted to contemplate the petitions and decide the suitable motion in accordance with the related provisions of the electoral regulation.

The supply attributed the potential delay in contemplating the petitions to the zonal tour by INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, forward of the 2027 basic elections.

How the candidates reacted

Gwarzo has sued INEC over the omission of his title and that of his operating mate from the fee’s last record of candidates for the 2027 elections.

In an originating summons dated October 20, 2026, Gwarzo is asking the court docket to declare the omission of his title and that of his operating mate, Rabiu Mustapha, illegal, unconstitutional and a breach of the Electoral Act, 2026.

The plaintiff is searching for declarations that he and the NDC complied with all constitutional and statutory necessities for the nomination and publication of their names in INEC’s last record of governorship candidates reportedly revealed on October 13.

He can be asking the court docket to decide whether or not INEC can refuse to recognise the celebration’s nomination of the duo and whether or not the fee ought to amend and republish the record to embrace their names.

Among the eight reliefs sought, Gwarzo desires an order compelling INEC to recognise him and Mustapha because the NDC governorship candidates for Kano State within the 2027 basic elections.

He is additional asking the court docket to declare that the celebration complied with Sections 77(5) to 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which he stated had been interpreted by the Supreme Court in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party. He additionally desires INEC restrained from presenting the October 13 record as last with out their names.

The supply, nonetheless, confirmed that the petitions can be addressed by the fee, noting that each one submissions have been directed to the INEC chairman for consideration with recommendation from the related departments.

“Of course, all petitions are addressed to the chairman. You need to sit down with them for the advice of the department. As a department, we have been going through all that, and they had a preliminary report,” the supply stated.

In Gombe, our correspondents reported {that a} group had organised a Qur’anic recitation and prayer session to search divine intervention for Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami’s governorship ambition forward of the 2027 election.

The discussion board stated the gathering was aimed toward searching for divine steerage and blessings because the state prepares for the 2027 governorship election.

The members additional sought Allah’s blessings on their political and different lawful endeavours, whereas praying for lasting peace, stability and progress throughout the state and the nation.

Our correspondent reviews that the exclusion of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, from the ultimate record of governorship candidates launched by INEC has been producing ripples throughout the state.

Daily Trust’s checks revealed that whereas Adebutu and his operating mate’s names have been omitted, all different PDP candidates for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate have been cleared by INEC together with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo.

Adebutu’s title initially appeared on the preliminary INEC record revealed in August 2026.

In an announcement posted on his X and Facebook handles on Sunday, Adebutu stated the circumstances surrounding his exclusion from the ultimate record of governorship candidates launched by INEC raised “serious questions”.

“We will pursue this matter through the appropriate channels and insist that due process is respected,” Adebutu declared in an announcement he posted on X and Facebook on Sunday morning.

Adebutu stated he remained a duly registered member of the PDP, having accomplished digital registration inside the stipulated interval. He added that his membership card had been printed and verified.

“My documentation was duly submitted to INEC within the prescribed time. I have not at any point left the PDP, and my commitment to our great party remains unwavering,” he stated.

Options earlier than omitted candidates after today

Political analyst, Professor Atah Pine, stated the affected candidates may search authorized redress if INEC refuses to restore their names to the record.

He defined that the fee’s place was reportedly primarily based on its examination of celebration membership registers, which allegedly didn’t comprise the names of some affected candidates.

Professor Pine added that the fee’s forthcoming assertion would make clear the explanations for the omission and decide the subsequent steps for the affected candidates.