ABUJA, Nigeria — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published its final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) absent from the lists for Ogun and Gombe states.
The lists, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony and published on Saturday, October 10, contain 13 governorship candidates for Ogun State and 16 for Gombe State.
However, neither list includes a PDP candidate, leaving out Adebutu, the party’s candidate in Ogun, and Pantami, its candidate in Gombe.
The omissions come amid separate controversies surrounding the candidates’ eligibility and the processes through which they emerged as the party’s flagbearers.
INEC did not provide an explanation for their absence in the published lists, according to PUNCH.
Adebutu’s Omission Raises Membership Questions
Adebutu’s exclusion follows questions over his name’s absence from the PDP membership register submitted to INEC.
Some groups had challenged his eligibility, alleging that his name was missing from the register submitted by the party to the electoral commission.
However, the Ogun State chapter of the PDP rejected the allegations, insisting that Adebutu was a registered party member and that it had complied with the applicable requirements for membership registration and submission.
The dispute has raised questions about whether the party fulfilled the administrative and legal requirements necessary for its candidate to appear on the final list.
Adebutu previously contested the Ogun governorship election in 2023 against incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress.
His absence from the 2027 list means he is not currently listed by INEC as the PDP’s candidate for the forthcoming election in the state.
Court Dispute Surrounds Pantami’s Candidacy
Pantami’s omission follows a legal dispute over the process that produced him as the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State.
On September 24, 2026, the Federal High Court in Gombe nullified his initial emergence as the party’s candidate and ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary within 30 days.
The ruling followed suits filed by Khamisu Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry, who challenged the process through which Pantami secured the ticket.
The court held that the initial primary did not comply with the party’s procedures and applicable electoral laws, including concerns about the exclusion of aspirants who had been screened and cleared to participate.
Pantami subsequently won a rerun primary conducted on September 29, defeating Mailantarki and Garry.
Despite that development, his name did not appear on INEC’s final list published on October 10.
The commission’s published list did not state whether Pantami’s omission was directly connected to the earlier court ruling or another compliance issue.
INEC Cites Membership Register Requirements
INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education Mohammed Haruna had previously warned that political parties that failed to comply with membership-register requirements would not be allowed to field affected candidates or substitute them.
Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, political parties have 14 days to notify INEC in writing, supported by an affidavit, if a nominated candidate’s name is missing from the submitted particulars.
The provision is relevant to disputes involving candidates whose names do not appear on the published lists.
However, the specific grounds for excluding Adebutu and Pantami have not been formally detailed in the final list itself.
What The Omissions Mean For PDP
The absence of the two candidates presents a challenge for the PDP as it prepares for the 2027 governorship elections.
In Ogun, the dispute centres on allegations concerning Adebutu’s membership registration, which the party has denied.
In Gombe, Pantami’s case involves a court-ordered fresh primary and questions surrounding compliance with the procedures governing his nomination.
The two cases therefore involve distinct circumstances, even though both candidates are missing from the same final publication.
The PDP’s next steps and any further official clarification from INEC or the courts will be important in determining whether the omissions can be addressed under the applicable electoral laws.
For now, the commission’s published list does not include either candidate, and no conclusion should be drawn about the final legal outcome of the disputes until the relevant authorities clarify the position.
