2027: INEC Rejects Adebutu’s Petition as Pantami and Kano NDC Candidate Make the List

Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rejected a petition by Ladi Adebutu, the PDP governorship hopeful in Ogun State, over his omission from the 2027 election candidates’ list. The commission cleared former minister Isa Ali Pantami and Abdulsalam Gwarzo, the NDC governorship candidate in Kano State, to appear on the list, with Gwarzo’s clearance dependent on the outcome of a court case. An INEC source said about 36 of the 69 petitions filed by omitted candidates were successful. The decision follows enforcement of Section 77(5)–(7) of the 2026 Electoral Act, which the Supreme Court upheld as constitutional on September 24, 2026.