Politics

Election: Tension as INEC Removes Two Major Parties from Final List

Published

9 months ago

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to release the final list of candidates contesting the February 6, 2027, governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, with eight states excluded from the governorship poll. According to The Nation, the commission is scheduled to publish the final list on Saturday, October 10, 2026, in line with Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2026. The affected states are Edo, Bayelsa, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Imo, Anambra and Kogi, where governorship elections will not hold as part of the February 2027 electoral exercise because they operate on separate election schedules. INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed during a world press conference and stakeholders’ meeting that 21 of Nigeria’s 22 registered political parties nominated 936 governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the 28 states scheduled to elect governors in 2027. The parties also nominated 9,692 candidates for the State Houses of Assembly elections. Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires INEC to publish the names and addresses of nominated candidates at least 60 days before an election. The law also provides a procedure for political parties to notify the commission if a candidate’s name is missing from the published list. Under Section 32(2), such notification must be submitted in writing, signed by the party’s national chairman and secretary, and supported by an affidavit within 14 days of publication. Meanwhile, governorship elections are expected to take place in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Delta, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Niger, Nasarawa, Kwara, Benue, Plateau, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara and Sokoto states. Although governorship elections will not take place in the eight excluded states during the February 2027 exercise, State House of Assembly elections are scheduled across all 36 states. The commission’s final list is expected to provide further details of the candidates and political parties participating in the elections. INEC had earlier set September 19, 2026, as the deadline for substituting candidates and September 26, 2026, as the final date for submitting nomination forms. The publication of the final list will be an important step in preparations for the 2027 elections, as political parties and candidates move towards the next phase of campaigning.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the upcoming Ekiti State election scheduled for June 20.

Notably absent from this list are the candidates from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Specifically, the names of PDP candidate Dr. Wole Oluyede and SDP candidate David Bankole were not included, while candidates from 12 other political parties are listed.

The final candidate list was made available on the INEC notice board at the commission’s state headquarters in Ado Ekiti.

In light of their absence from the list, Gani Salau, spokesperson for Dr. Oluyede, expressed optimism that Oluyede would still be able to participate in the election.

He mentioned that the PDP has initiated two legal actions: one is an appeal seeking to stay the execution of a court order that mandates fresh primaries for the party, and the other requests that INEC officially recognize and publish Oluyede’s name as the party’s candidate for the governorship election.

Similarly, SDP State Chairman, Ayodele Bamikole, said the party would pursue legal avenues to ensure its candidate is included in the list.

According to INEC’s final list, the governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the June 20 election include Opeyemi Falegan and Bayode Omoyeni (Accord), Oluwasegun Akande and Oluwasanmi Fajuyigbe (AAC), Oluwadare Bejide and Ayodeji Babalola (ADC), Ojo Ayodeji and Itunu Ibitoye (ADP), Olanrewaju Anifowose and Adenike Ilesanmi (APM).

Others are Biodun Oyebanji and Monisade Afuye (APC), Olaiya Awogbemi and Akinyemi Adewumi (APP), Oyebanji Olajuyin and Odunayo Okunade (LP), Praise Ayodele and Dorcas Adeniyi (PRP), Damilola Adetunji and Adesina Oyeniyi (ZLP), Olusegun Osinkolu (YPP), and Blessing Abegunde and Ade Francis (NNPP).

INEC had released a provisional list on December 29, 2025, giving parties until January 12, 2026, to make corrections or substitutions before publishing the final list on Monday, January 19, in line with election guidelines.

The June 20 election will determine the next governor of Ekiti State, as the four-year tenure of incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji is set to end on October 15, 2026. Oyebanji, seeking a second term on the APC platform, will contest against the candidates of the other parties listed.