INEC Gives Parties October 24 Deadline To Challenge Omission Of Governorship Candidates

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given political parties until October 24 to notify it of any complaints over the omission of their governorship candidates from the final list for the 2027 elections.

The commission said the deadline was in line with Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly omitted from the list to notify the commission within 14 days of publication.

INEC disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee.

The commission explained that the omission of some candidates followed a Supreme Court judgment affirming the constitutional validity of provisions requiring political parties to submit their membership registers before conducting valid primaries.

The Supreme Court, in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, delivered on September 24, 2026, upheld Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

According to INEC, the court also upheld Item 2 of its timetable and schedule of activities, which required political parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.

The commission said the apex court ruled that compliance with the provisions was mandatory and that political parties that failed to submit their membership registers were ineligible to sponsor candidates in the elections.

INEC said it applied the judgment while finalising the list of candidates for the governorship elections, excluding political parties that failed to comply with the statutory requirements.

It added that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had been published on September 12, 2026, 13 days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.

The commission said the earlier publication of the federal election candidates’ lists preceded the court’s decision, while the governorship candidates’ list was finalised in accordance with the judgment.

INEC cited Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires the enforcement of decisions of superior courts, as the basis for applying the Supreme Court’s ruling.

The commission assured Nigerians of its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process.