The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to consider a raft of petitions challenging the omission of several candidates from its list for the 2027 general elections on Thursday, October 29, with the political fate of former Communications Minister Isa Ali Pantami and other governorship hopefuls hanging in the balance.
Other affected politicians include the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu; Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate Abdulsalam Gwarzo; Senator Danjuma Laah, whose name was also reportedly omitted from the list in Kaduna State; and Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship nominee in Benue State, Sebastine Hon.
The commission is also expected to consider complaints over the exclusion of other candidates, including Esson Mairiga, a member of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly representing Lafia North.
Sources at INEC headquarters in Abuja told Daily Trust that the commission had received numerous petitions before the expiration of the 14-day window for challenging candidates’ particulars published by the electoral body.
The deadline elapsed on Saturday, with petitions still being submitted up to the final day.
A source said INEC had prepared a preliminary report on the complaints but would conclude its review after the deadline for receiving petitions had passed.
“There was a kind of preliminary report, but the final report can only come out after the deadline for receiving petitions,” the source said.
The petitions have heightened attention on INEC’s handling of disputes over candidate nominations ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly the controversy surrounding Pantami’s exclusion from the list of governorship candidates in Gombe State.
The former minister’s omission has triggered complaints from the Gombe PDP, which insists that his name should be included in the final list.
The party’s Public Relations Officer in the state, Abdulkadir Ahmed Dukku, said it was awaiting INEC’s response to its earlier complaint before deciding on further action.
Dukku said the party remained hopeful that the commission would correct the omission, adding that its next move would depend on INEC’s decision.
In Benue State, the SDP said it had written to INEC over the omission of its governorship candidate, Sebastine Hon, from the final list.
The party’s state chairman, Idoko Itodo, described the omission as a possible error, noting that Hon’s name had appeared on an earlier list published by the commission.
“We have written to INEC. We have done the needful,” Itodo said, expressing optimism that the commission would rectify the situation.
Similarly, the Nasarawa State PDP chairman, Joel Daniel Gimba, confirmed that the party had petitioned INEC over the exclusion of Mairiga from its final list of candidates for the state House of Assembly election.
Gimba described the omission as an error, arguing that a Certified True Copy of the relevant document obtained from INEC on September 20 contained Mairiga’s name.
The commission is expected to examine the complaints alongside advice from its relevant departments before determining its response.
An INEC source said all petitions had been directed to the commission’s chairman for consideration, with a preliminary assessment already completed.
The timing of the meeting is also linked to the ongoing zonal tour of INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, ahead of the 2027 elections. The chairman was expected to visit Gombe State before returning to Abuja on Wednesday, ahead of Thursday’s meeting.
However, INEC had yet to officially confirm the number of petitions received or the precise agenda for the meeting as of press time.
The commission’s Deputy Director of Publicity, Wilfred Osilama Ifogah, could not be reached by telephone and had not responded to a WhatsApp message sent to him. The Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, said she had only recently resumed official duties and could not immediately provide details of the petitions.
Thursday’s meeting is expected to provide greater clarity on the commission’s position regarding the affected candidates and the complaints lodged by their parties.
