INEC CITES SUPREME COURT RULING TO JUSTIFY EXCLUSION OF SOME 2027 CANDIDATES

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained that the omission of some candidates from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections followed a Supreme Court ruling on political party membership registers and candidate nominations.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, the commission said the decision was based on the Supreme Court judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, delivered on September 24, 2026.

The judgment followed INEC’s appeal against an earlier Court of Appeal ruling that nullified Sections 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which require political parties to submit their membership registers as a condition for conducting valid party primaries.

According to INEC, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the provisions, declaring them mandatory for all political parties.

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

INEC stated that the Supreme Court further ruled that parties that failed to comply with the requirements were ineligible to sponsor candidates for the elections.

The commission said it applied the judgment while finalising the list of governorship candidates, excluding parties that did not meet the statutory requirements.

It explained that the action was taken in accordance with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires relevant authorities to enforce court decisions.

INEC, however, clarified 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 also reminded political parties that, under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, those who believe their candidates were wrongly omitted from the published list have 14 days to notify it.

The deadline for submitting such complaints is October 24, 2026.

INEC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.

The statement was signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.