INEC includes Pantami in Gombe’s updated list but leaves Gwarzo and Adebutu out

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday published an updated list of Governorship and Deputy Governorship candidates for the 2027 elections.

The commission has included the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in Gombe State but omitted the former Kano State Deputy Governor, Abdulsalam Gwarzo as the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The name of a former Ogun State Governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, remains absent from their respective state lists.

The updated Gombe list features Pantami alongside his running mate, Haruna Ahmadu Hasan, under the PDP.

Pantami, 53, is identified in the document as Ibrahim Isa Ali, while Hasan, 41, is listed as the party’s deputy governorship candidate.

In Kano State, however, the updated list still does not contain the name of Gwarzo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate, or his running mate, Rabiu Mustapha.

Instead, INEC left the party’s Governorship and Deputy Governorship entries blank, with the words ‘Court Order’ appearing in the remarks column against both positions.

The notation indicates that the publication of the NDC candidates’ names remains affected by a court order.

In Ogun State, Adebutu, the PDP governorship candidate, and his running mate also remain absent from the updated list.

Unlike Pantami, whose petition was successful, INEC rejected Adebutu’s petition seeking a review of his exclusion.

INEC had earlier published its initial final list of governorship candidates on October 10, 2026, excluding Pantami, Gwarzo and Adebutu, among other candidates.

The exclusions followed disputes over compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, particularly the requirement for political parties to submit their membership registers to the commission.

The controversy followed a September 24 Supreme Court judgment affirming the constitutionality of provisions of the Electoral Act requiring political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC before conducting valid primaries.

Following complaints from affected candidates and political parties, INEC reviewed the nominations and petitions.

In a statement issued by the commission’s Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, INEC said it received 69 petitions from 12 political parties across 26 states concerning governorship candidates.

Of the petitions, 41 were successful, while 28 were rejected.

For the State Houses of Assembly elections, the commission received 61 petitions from 11 political parties across 11 states, approving 25 and rejecting 36.

This brings the total number of petitions considered by the commission to 130, with 66 upheld and 64 rejected.

The commission said its decisions followed a review of complaints, relevant records and applicable legal provisions.

INEC added that affected candidates, political parties and states would be reflected in the updated lists published on its website.