Politics

INEC Releases Numbers of Parties For Saturday’s Election

Published

2 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 said six political parties will contest Saturday’s Kano State House of Assembly by-election in Dawakin Kudu Constituency.

INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano, Abdu Zango, said 1,500 ad hoc staff will cover 303 polling units, with sensitive materials due Wednesday.

Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, said security deployment starts Thursday as INEC listed 162,445 voters and 91.7 per cent PVC collection.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that six political parties will contest Saturday’s Kano State House of Assembly by-election in Dawakin Kudu Constituency.

The commission also announced plans to deploy 1,500 ad hoc staff to the 303 polling units in the constituency as preparations for the election gather pace, Naija News reports.

INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano, Abdu Zango, disclosed this on Tuesday after an Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting with heads of security agencies at the Kano State Police Command headquarters.

Zango said non-sensitive election materials had already been distributed, while sensitive materials were expected to arrive on Wednesday.

He assured residents that the commission was prepared to deliver a peaceful and credible election.Campaigns & Elections

“Every election is a learning process. We did that before in Dawakin Kudu and it was free, fair, credible, peaceful. No issue whatsoever. We will do the same, even better,” Zango said.

The REC added that INEC and security agencies had put measures in place to ensure a peaceful, free and fair exercise.

Also speaking, Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, said security personnel would be deployed to the constituency from Thursday.

“We are fully prepared and deployment will commence by Thursday. It is going to be peaceful, fair and free. We are ready to go. There is always improvement in every process, and definitely there is an improvement from what we have done before,” he said.

The by-election became necessary after the former occupant of the seat left the Kano State House of Assembly to take up a seat in the House of Representatives.

INEC had earlier put the number of registered voters in Dawakin Kudu Constituency at 162,445.

Out of that figure, 148,971 voters have collected their Permanent Voter Cards, representing a 91.7 per cent collection rate.