The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reportedly cleared former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, to contest the 2027 elections.
However, the commission rejected a petition by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, seeking a review of his exclusion from the candidates’ list.
An INEC source disclosed the decisions on Thursday, saying the commission considered 69 petitions from political parties over omitted candidates for governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
The source said about 36 petitions were successful, while the others were rejected. The commission’s legal department was still compiling the final figures ahead of an official statement.
“We received a total of 69 petitions from political parties. Some of them were successful, I think about 36, and the rest didn’t succeed,” the source was quoted as saying.
The official confirmed Pantami’s clearance but noted that pending court proceedings could affect his eligibility.
“Yes, Pantami has been cleared,” the source said when asked about the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State.
Gwarzo’s approval is also subject to the outcome of a court case challenging his exclusion.
“Because of the court case, the court may rule otherwise. So his approval is subject to whatever the court finally decides,” the source said.
The official added that INEC had no objection to either candidate contesting the election, pending the resolution of the legal disputes.
“But we have no issues with their contesting as candidates,” the source said.
On Adebutu’s petition, the source confirmed that his request had failed.
“He did not succeed,” the official reportedly said.
The disputes arose after INEC omitted several candidates from lists published ahead of the 2027 general elections. The commission attributed the exclusions to alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2026, particularly the requirement for political parties to submit their membership registers.
INEC said its position followed a September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgment affirming the constitutionality of Section 77(5) to (7) of the Electoral Act, which makes the submission of membership registers mandatory.
Gwarzo had challenged the exclusion of himself and his running mate, Rabiu Mustapha, from the list of governorship candidates in Kano State.
In an originating summons dated October 20, 2026, he asked the court to declare their exclusion unlawful and compel INEC to recognise them as the NDC’s candidates.
Pantami’s candidacy is also the subject of litigation, with a court proceeding in the matter expected on Friday, according to the INEC source.
Meanwhile, Adebutu’s exclusion had drawn criticism from PDP senatorial candidate for Ogun Central, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, who accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State of being afraid to face a fair contest.
Obasanjo, who represented Ogun Central in the Senate from 2007 to 2011, made the allegation during an interview earlier in the week.
She said she initially dismissed reports of Adebutu’s omission because INEC had already published the lists of senatorial and House of Representatives candidates. However, further inquiries prompted her to question why his name was missing.
Obasanjo said her findings indicated that Adebutu had followed the same process as other candidates.
“What is it that Honourable Ladi did differently than what we did? And when I asked that question, I have a scientific mind. The answer was, he did the exact same thing, right? That we all did,” she said.
“The next question is then why is his name not in the list?”
She alleged that political opponents had taken steps to influence the situation and warned that the exclusion of candidates through questionable means could undermine Nigeria’s democracy.
“If this happens, then a democracy will crash because everybody that is a money bag will go to Abuja and give the neutral institution money to remove anybody they think can beat them,” she said.
Obasanjo questioned whether an individual’s ambition to become governor should be allowed to undermine democratic principles.
“And so the idea is that, can one man’s desperation to be governor allow us to kill our democracy?” she asked.
She maintained that the controversy extended beyond Adebutu and the PDP, describing it as an issue concerning the future of Nigeria’s democratic system.
“It is not even about Honourable Adebutu, it’s not about PDP, it’s about the democracy Nigeria runs,” she said.
