The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is expected to decide today on the eligibility of candidates nominated by some political parties whose names were missing from the list of cleared candidates for the 2027 elections. 

The decision is expected to be considered at the commission’s weekly meeting with top officials. Among those affected are former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Gombe State; Abdulsalam Gwarzo of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in Kano State; and Danjuma Laah, the NDC governorship candidate in Kaduna State. 

Also affected is Sebastien, the Social Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Benue State, alongside several other nominees. INEC had released its list of cleared candidates on October 10, leaving out the affected aspirants. 

The commission subsequently explained that some candidates were excluded because their political parties failed to submit their membership registers as required by law. According to INEC, the decision followed a September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgment affirming the constitutionality of Section 77, subsections five to seven, of the Electoral Act 2026.