THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained that some candidates were omitted from the final list for the 2027 governorship election because their political parties failed to comply with the mandatory submission of membership registers.
The Commission said the decision followed a Supreme Court judgement affirming the constitutionality of Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires political parties to submit their membership registers before conducting valid party primaries.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, 13th October 2026, INEC said the Supreme Court delivered the judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, on 24 September 2026.
According to the Commission, the apex court overturned the effect of an earlier Court of Appeal judgment that had nullified the provisions requiring political parties to submit their membership registers as a prerequisite for valid party primaries.
INEC stated that the Supreme Court upheld the provisions of Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, and affirmed the validity of Item 2 of its timetable and schedule of activities, which required political parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
The Commission said the court further ruled that political parties that failed to comply with the provisions were ineligible to sponsor candidates for the election.
Consequently, INEC said it applied the Supreme Court’s decision in preparing the final list of governorship candidates, excluding political parties that did not meet the statutory requirements.
The Commission explained that its action was in compliance with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires authorities to recognise and enforce decisions of the courts.
INEC, however, clarified that the final list of presidential and National Assembly candidates had already been published on 12th September 2026, 13 days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.
It added that under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly omitted from the list have 14 days from the date of publication to notify the Commission. According to INEC, the deadline for such notifications is 24 October 2026.
The statement was signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee.
The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.