INEC has omitted Isa Pantami and Ladi Adebutu from its final lists of candidates for the February 2027 governorship elections in Gombe and Ogun states.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has omitted Ladi Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, and his running mate from its final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election.
Isa Pantami, who recently won a fresh PDP governorship primary in Gombe State, is also missing from the commission’s final list for the state.
The lists, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony and published on the commission’s website on Saturday, are for the governorship elections scheduled for February 6, 2027. The Ogun list contains 13 candidates and the Gombe list 16, but neither includes a PDP candidate.
What the Lists Show
Adebutu and his deputy are absent from the Ogun list, which names Solomon Adeola as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, with Kudirat Balogun as his running mate.
In Gombe, the list identifies Jamil Gwamna as the APC candidate, with Balah Adams as his running mate.
The lists contain candidates’ names, political parties, running mates, ages, genders, qualifications and, where applicable, remarks. The documents do not explain why the two candidates and their running mates are missing.
The Gombe Background
Pantami, a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, emerged as the PDP’s candidate in Gombe following a rerun primary. The Federal High Court in Gombe had on September 24 nullified his initial emergence and ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary within 30 days, after finding that the earlier exercise did not comply with the party’s procedures and applicable electoral laws.
Pantami won the rerun on September 29, defeating Khamisu Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry. Despite that victory, neither his name nor the PDP appeared on INEC’s published list for the state. Some reports link the omission to legal disputes over party membership cut-off dates. Pantami has since urged his supporters to remain calm.
The Ogun Background
Adebutu’s omission follows allegations that his name was absent from the PDP membership register submitted to INEC. Two groups, the Ogun Democratic Accountability Forum and Elections Integrity Watch, made the claim. The PDP in Ogun State rejected it, saying Adebutu is a registered party member and that the requirements for submitting the register had been met.
The party has also accused the APC of putting undue pressure on INEC to exclude Adebutu, alleging that the ruling party feared losing the governorship election. The APC’s response was not immediately available. Adebutu’s running mate, Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, was also left off the list.
Political parties and candidates are also coming to terms with a recent Supreme Court judgment on the commission’s regulatory powers over parties and the submission and use of party membership registers for primaries, congresses and conventions.
Other Omissions and Inclusions
The omissions were not limited to the PDP. The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo, was also missing from the commission’s lists.
A review of INEC’s website also showed that the final list of governorship candidates for Rivers State had been uploaded. Kingsley Chinda was listed as the APC governorship candidate, Lulu-Briggs Dumo as the NDC candidate, and Ejekwu Samuel as the PDP candidate.
The lists published so far cover governorship candidates in 26 states, including Ogun, Gombe, Kano, Lagos, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara.
The omissions have drawn mixed reactions, from protests by affected candidates’ supporters to relief among their rivals. It was not immediately clear whether the PDP or the affected candidates would challenge the exclusions in court.
