The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cleared former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, to contest the 2027 general elections.
However, the commission said their clearance remains subject to the outcomes of pending court cases concerning their candidacies.
INEC also rejected a petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, who challenged his exclusion from the commission’s final list of candidates.
A source within INEC, who spoke to Daily Trust after the commission’s meeting on Thursday, disclosed that the electoral body received 69 petitions from political parties over candidates omitted from the lists for governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
According to the source, about 36 of the petitions were successful, while the remaining applications were rejected.
“We received a total of 69 petitions from political parties. Some of them were successful, I think about 36, and the rest didn’t succeed,” the source said.
The official added that INEC’s legal department was still compiling the final figures ahead of an official statement on the outcome of the review.
Confirming Pantami’s clearance, the source said, “Yes, Pantami has been cleared.”
On Gwarzo, the source explained that his approval was conditional because of the ongoing legal dispute over his candidacy.
“Because of the court case, the court may rule otherwise. So his approval is subject to whatever the court finally decides,” the official said.
The source added that INEC had no objection to either Pantami or Gwarzo participating in the 2027 elections, pending the resolution of the legal issues.
“But we have no issues with their contesting as candidates,” the source stated.
However, the commission dismissed Adebutu’s petition.
“He did not succeed,” the source said when asked about the Ogun PDP governorship candidate.
Pantami and Gwarzo were among prominent political candidates whose names were missing from INEC’s list published ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The commission had attributed the omissions to alleged non-compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, particularly the requirement for political parties to submit their membership registers.
INEC maintained that its position was based on the September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgment, which affirmed the constitutionality of Section 77(5) to (7) of the Electoral Act, making the submission of party membership registers mandatory.
Gwarzo had approached the court to challenge the exclusion of his name and that of his running mate, Rabiu Mustapha, from the list of NDC governorship candidates in Kano State.
In an originating summons dated October 20, 2026, he asked the court to declare their exclusion unlawful and compel INEC to recognise them as the party’s governorship candidates.
Similarly, Pantami’s candidacy has been the subject of litigation, with the INEC source indicating that a court proceeding on the matter was expected to take place on Friday.
Meanwhile, Adebutu had challenged his exclusion from the final list of governorship candidates in Ogun State, insisting that he remained a registered PDP member and had fulfilled the party’s membership registration requirements.
INEC is expected to issue a formal statement detailing the outcome of its review of the petitions.
