The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 72 hours to include five of its governorship candidates and their running mates in the final list for the February 6, 2027, elections.
The party made the demand in a letter signed by its National Chairman, Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe, and National Secretary, Barrister Ikenna Morgan Enekweizu.
The NDC said the affected individuals had been validly nominated to contest the governorship elections and urged the electoral body to rectify their omission from the published list.
In Kano State, the party’s candidate is Abdulsalam Aminu Gwarzo, with Rabiu Mustapha as his running mate. In Cross River State, it nominated Odey John Upan, alongside Archibong Stella Charles, while Laah Danfuma Tella and Sani Bashir are its candidates in Kaduna State.
The other affected tickets are Muktar Faruk Alhaji and Ayuba Shamsudeen in Kebbi State, as well as Odusina Bolaji Marie and Adeyemni Yunus Adesina in Ogun State.
The party outlined its concerns in a letter titled “Omission of Names of Our Gubernatorial and Their Deputies.” It also acknowledged INEC’s efforts towards credible elections while calling for the inclusion of the omitted names.
INEC released its final list of governorship candidates on October 10.
The development has prompted objections from affected politicians and political parties, which have sought clarification from the commission over the exclusions.
INEC has attributed some of the omissions to political parties’ failure to meet legal requirements for submitting membership registers and conducting primaries. The commission cited a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, concerning provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
The provisions require parties to submit their membership registers to INEC within the prescribed period and restrict participation in primaries to members whose names appear on the submitted registers.
According to the commission, candidates were excluded in some cases because their parties had not fulfilled the relevant membership-register requirements before conducting their primaries.
The affected candidates cut across party lines, with PDP governorship candidates in Gombe and Ogun states also reportedly missing from the final list.
The NDC did not specify its next course of action if INEC fails to meet the 72-hour deadline.
NDC gives INEC 72 hours to include five governorship candidates in final list