…as INEC takes final decision October 29
A deluge of petitions have flooded the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission challenging the omission of names of candidates submitted by some political parties to the commission ahead the 2027 general elections.
According to impeccable sources at the commission, the issues raised by all the aggrieved candidates have been scheduled to be addressed at its next meeting, fixed for Thursday, October 29.
It was gathered that in addition to the preliminary report, a final report will be issued by INEC after the deadline for receiving petitions.
It was learnt that INEC had received many petitions before the expiration of the 14-day window allowed for aggrieved political parties and other concerned parties to challenge candidates’ nominations.
The window, which elapsed on Saturday, was provided following the publication of the candidates’ particulars by INEC.
The petitions include those relating to the omission of the names of the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami; Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate for Kano, Abdulsalam Gwarzo; his counterpart in Kaduna State, Senator Danjuma Laah; Social Democratic Party governorship candidate nominee for Benue State, Sebastine Hon; the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, and many others.
A source further hinted that INEC had received a preliminary report on the petitions but would consider the final report after the deadline for submissions.
INEC sources said the electoral body would examine the various affected candidates’ petitions in line with the law.
The expected meeting comes amid growing attention to INEC’s handling of disputes arising from the publication of candidates’ particulars for the 2027 elections.
It was further learnt that the possible delay in considering the petitions is due to the ongoing zonal tour by INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan is expected to be in Gombe State this week as part of the tour, a development that could affect the timing of INEC’s next meeting.
Although INEC officials have yet to confirm the number of petitions already submitted by affected candidates or when the commission would sit to take decisions on them, candidates have confirmed submitting their petitions.
Peoples Democratic Party in Gombe State confirmed it has submitted a petition over the omission of its governorship candidate, Prof Pantami, from the INEC list for the 2027 elections.
PDP said it is awaiting INEC’s response to its earlier complaint over Pantami’s exclusion, despite the expiration of the deadline given to the commission to address the matter.
The party’s Public Relations Officer in Gombe State, Abdulkadir Ahmed Dukku, said that the party had yet to file a fresh petition, insisting that it would first wait for the commission to respond to the complaint already submitted.
He said the party remains hopeful that INEC would upload Pantami’s name to the list of governorship candidates, adding that the PDP would determine its next move based on the commission’s decision.
Dukku said the expiration of the deadline would not immediately prompt the party to take further action, as it was still expecting INEC to address its complaint.
Benue State Chairman of Social Democratic Party, Idoko Itodo, said that party had done the needful, expressing optimism that the omission of the party’s candidate, Sabestine Hon on INEC final list might be ‘an error’ which would be corrected.
Itodo claimed that the candidate’s name was in the first list released by INEC as he dismissed the insinuations that the party’s guber flagbearer may not participate in the 2027 election.
“We have written to INEC. We have done the needful,” he said.
Similarly, Nasarawa State Chairman of the PDP, Joel Daniel Gimba, confirmed that the party has petitioned INEC over the omission of the name of the member representing Lafia North in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Esson Mairiga, from its final list of candidates.
Gimba described the omission as an error on the part of INEC, noting that the Certified True Copy obtained from the commission on September 20th contained Mairiga’s name.
