The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has excluded Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship hopefuls Ladi Adebutu and Isa Ali Pantami from its final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections in Ogun and Gombe states.
The final lists, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony and published on the commission’s website on Saturday, October 10, contain 13 candidates for Ogun State and 16 for Gombe State, with no PDP candidate appearing on either list.
Adebutu, the PDP’s governorship candidate in Ogun State, and Pantami, the party’s flag bearer in Gombe, were both absent from the published records, raising fresh questions about the party’s participation in the forthcoming elections in the two states.
In Ogun State, Adebutu’s exclusion comes amid controversy over allegations that his name was missing from the PDP membership register submitted to INEC.
The allegations had prompted concerns about his eligibility to contest under the party’s platform ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
However, the Ogun State chapter of the PDP has rejected the claims, maintaining that Adebutu is a registered member of the party and that it complied with the relevant requirements for registering members and submitting its membership register to the electoral commission.
In Gombe State, Pantami’s omission follows a series of legal disputes over the process that produced him as the PDP governorship candidate.
The Federal High Court in Gombe had, on September 24, 2026, nullified his initial emergence as the party’s candidate and ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary within 30 days.
The court ruled that the earlier primary did not comply with the party’s internal procedures and applicable electoral laws.
Pantami subsequently won the rerun primary conducted on September 29, defeating Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry to emerge as the party’s candidate.
Despite his victory in the rerun, his name did not appear on INEC’s final list.
The commission’s published lists did not provide specific explanations for the exclusion of the two politicians.
The development comes amid INEC’s warning that political parties that fail to comply with statutory requirements concerning 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 parties would not be permitted to benefit from non-compliance with the relevant electoral provisions.
The absence of the PDP candidates from the final lists marks a significant setback for the opposition party as preparations gather momentum for the 2027 governorship elections.
With the February 6 polls approaching, the development is expected to intensify scrutiny of the party’s compliance with electoral requirements and the circumstances surrounding the exclusion of its candidates in Ogun and Gombe states.
