The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released an updated final list of governorship candidates for the 2027 general elections, retaining former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Gombe State.
However, the PDP governorship candidate for Ogun State, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Kano State, Gwarzo, are still missing from the updated list.
INEC released the revised list on Saturday following a review of court judgments and submissions by political parties.
Pantami’s inclusion follows the commission’s confirmation that all necessary legal requirements for his candidacy have been fulfilled.
In contrast, INEC maintained its position on the exclusion of Gwarzo, citing a subsisting court order restraining the commission from recognising his candidacy. The electoral body explained that his name would remain excluded until the court order is vacated.
Adebutu’s continued omission, however, was attributed to his absence from the PDP membership register and the party’s failure to submit his name to INEC as its governorship candidate for Ogun State.
In its update, the commission stated: “INEC updates final governorship list: Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, PDP, now included for Gombe, Kano NDC’s Gwarzo still omitted under court order.”
The electoral umpire added that the final list of governorship candidates would be published on its official website and displayed at all its state offices.
The updated list reflects the commission’s review of relevant court decisions and submissions from political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Find below, the updated INEC list of governorship candidates:
Earlier, The Daily Crucible reported how a petition reportedly filed by Comrade Abayomi Arabambi, an outspoken opposition politician in Ogun State and public affairs commentator, might have set in motion the process that led to the exclusion of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027, Ogun State governorship election.
INEC’s initial final list contained 13 governorship candidates for Ogun State, with no candidate listed for the PDP.
The list, signed by INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, and published on the commission’s website on Saturday, October 10, 2026, did not include Adebutu, raising questions about the PDP’s participation in the forthcoming election.
Adebutu’s exclusion came amid controversy over allegations that his name was missing from the PDP membership register submitted to INEC. The allegation had sparked concerns about his eligibility to contest the election on the party’s platform.
However, the Ogun State chapter of the PDP rejected the claim, insisting that Adebutu was a duly registered party member and that it had complied with the relevant requirements for registering members and submitting its membership register to the electoral commission.
The development also came against the backdrop of INEC’s warning that political parties that failed to comply with statutory requirements governing membership registers could be barred from fielding affected candidates or substituting them.
INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, had previously stated that political parties would not be allowed to benefit from non-compliance with relevant electoral provisions.
However, in a telephone interview with The Daily Crucible, Arabambi confirmed that he and the Action Alliance (AA) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Prof. Awofala Awolola, had petitioned INEC to remove Adebutu’s name from the list of candidates for the 2027 election.
According to Arabambi, the petition challenged Adebutu’s eligibility on the grounds that his name was allegedly absent from the PDP membership register submitted to INEC in support of his nomination.
He commended the commission’s decision, describing it as a demonstration of its commitment to impartiality, adherence to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The petition, dated September 30, 2026, was addressed to the INEC Chairman at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Arabambi disclosed that the letter, signed by Prof. Awofala Awolola and Dr. Abayomi Arabambi, was acknowledged and stamped as received by the commission on the same day.
Through their legal representatives, the petitioners urged INEC to expunge the names of Adebutu and his running mate from the list of governorship candidates for the 2027 election.
They also requested that the commission review the documents submitted by the PDP in support of Adebutu’s nomination and sponsorship, particularly the party’s membership register, to establish whether his name appeared on the register submitted to the electoral body.
The petition was handled by a team of legal representatives comprising Anderson Asemota (Principal Partner), Chief S. T. Yenge, Esq., and Eziefule Chidiebere Stanley, Esq., alongside seven other lawyers from the law firm of NEPLUS ULTRA ATTORNEYS.
Arabambi maintained that INEC’s action was consistent with the concerns raised in the petition, describing the development as a reminder that political parties and their candidates must comply with electoral laws and nomination requirements.
With Adebutu’s name still missing from INEC’s latest updated list of governorship candidates, the PDP candidate’s chances of participating in the February 6, 2027, Ogun State governorship election appear increasingly uncertain.
The latest development could further complicate his efforts to secure a place on the ballot, although the final outcome may depend on any further legal or administrative steps available to him and his party.
