By Michael AMAJAMA
The dust over the list of candidates for the 2027 general elections seems far from over as parties and excluded candidates have raised the alarm of the final list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the polls.
On Saturday, October 10, the electoral commission released what it says is the final list for next year’s elections drawing the ire of some parties and candidates.
In Jigawa, the African Democratic Congress has expressed concern over the omission of its endorsed deputy governorship candidate, Aminu Ringim, from the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
Ringim’s name was missing from the list released by INEC and was replaced with that of Musa Ya’u Balarabe, despite the party’s insistence that Ringim was its officially submitted running mate.
Ringim has since confirmed the omission but declined to comment on the development.
The list showed the ADC governorship candidate, Sabo Muhammad Nakudu, with a different running mate, whose nomination the party is disputing.
Efforts to obtain the party’s official position from its state chairman, Sani Gumel, were unsuccessful, as multiple calls put through to him did not connect as of the time of filing this report.
However, the ADC Deputy State Chairman, Nuraddeen Jidawa, confirmed Ringim’s omission in a telephone interview on Sunday.
Jidawa also disclosed that about seven other candidates endorsed by the party and whose names were submitted to INEC in accordance with the guidelines were missing from the final list.
He said, “As far as the party is concerned, Aminu Ibrahim Ringim remains the name officially submitted to INEC as running mate to its gubernatorial candidate, Sabo Muhammad Nakudu. The party doesn’t consider the released list as final. We will continue to reach out to the electoral umpire through any legal means”, Jidawa said, adding that although the party was not against any of its members, constitutional guidelines must be followed and respected.
According to him, the ADC was dissatisfied with the list of candidates released by INEC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He described the development as a deliberate attempt to destabilise the party, not only in Jigawa State but across the country.
Jidawa vowed to continue engaging the commission over the omission of the party’s endorsed deputy governorship candidate and other candidates contesting in seven constituencies, including Hadejia/Auyo/Kafin Hausa, Kaugama and Birnin Kudu.
In Gombe, the Peoples Democratic Party is in disquiet as its governorship candidate, a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami, is not on the final list of INEC.
He has since urged his supporters to remain calm following the omission, describing the development as a temporary electoral challenge, saying efforts were underway to address it.
The statement, signed by Prof Suleiman Mohammed Gombe, acknowledged concerns among PDP supporters and members of the Pantamiyya Movement within and outside the state.
According to the statement, Pantami’s legal and liaison teams are engaging relevant PDP organs and INEC to seek compliance with a court order and correct the omission within the time permitted by law.
For Ladi Adebutu in Ogun, the battle to be on the ballot after his exclusion is one, he said.
Adebutu’s omission comes amid questions over his name’s absence from the PDP membership register submitted to INEC. Some groups had raised concerns about his eligibility after alleging that his name was missing from the register.
Adebutu, in a statement addressed to the people of Ogun State on X, blamed, without proof, his exclusion on alleged pressure from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, on INEC.
He also expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved before the election scheduled for 6 February 2027.
Faulting his exclusion linked to INEC’s enforcement of statutory party membership requirements, Adebutu said he completed his digital membership registration within the stipulated period was verified before his documentation was submitted to INEC.
“I remain a duly registered member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). I completed my digital registration within the stipulated period, and my membership card was printed and verified,” he said.
“My documentation was duly submitted to INEC within the prescribed time. I have not at any point left the PDP, and my commitment to our great party remains unwavering.”
