Politics

INEC Validates Only Three Parties for Senatorial Election; Gives Reason

Published

5 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 cleared only three political parties to participate in the Enugu North Senatorial District by-election slated for June 20, effectively shutting out the National Democratic Coalition (NDC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and other parties that failed to meet the nomination requirements.

The parties cleared by the commission are the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is fielding Chief Ikeje Asogwa; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), represented by Chief Nestor Ezeme; and the BOOT Party (BP), whose candidate is Mr Chukwuebuka Aneke.

Speaking on the development in Enugu weekend, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Enugu State, Dr Chukwuemeka Chukwu, disclosed that only the APC, PDP and BP successfully complied with the deadline for the submission of nomination forms and supporting documents through the INEC Nomination Portal.

He explained that June 2 was the deadline approved in INEC’s timetable for the submission of Forms EC9, EC9C and other nomination documents for the by-election.

“At the close of nominations, three political parties successfully submitted the required nomination forms in respect of candidates they intend to sponsor for the by-election.

“The political parties are APC, BOOT Party (BP) and PDP,” Chukwu said.

The development means that parties such as the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which had earlier indicated interest in the contest, will not participate in the by-election after failing to meet INEC’s June 2 deadline for the submission of nomination forms and other required documents through the commission’s nomination portal.

According to the REC, the commission has processed the nomination documents submitted by the three parties in line with Sections 29(3) and 32(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended).

He added that INEC had consequently published the Forms EC9 (Personal Particulars of Candidates) and the final list of nominated candidates for the June 20 by-election in compliance with the Electoral Act and the commission’s approved timetable of activities.

Chukwu urged members of the public interested in scrutinising the particulars of the candidates to visit the commission’s notice board at the Enugu State headquarters during official working hours.

Reaffirming the commission’s commitment to transparency and due process, the REC assured political parties, candidates and other stakeholders of a level playing field throughout the electoral process.

The Enugu North Senatorial District by-election will be conducted across 1,488 polling units in six local government areas: Nsukka, Igbo-Eze North, Igbo-Eze South, Udenu, Igbo-Etiti and Uzo-Uwani.

Source