The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has published its final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections, with the Peoples Democratic Party missing from the lists for Ogun and Gombe states.
The list, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony and published on the INEC website on Saturday, show 13 candidates in Ogun and 16 in Gombe, none of them from the PDP. They leave out Ladi Adebutu in Ogun and Isa Ali Pantami in Gombe.
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.
In Gombe, Pantami’s absence follows a court dispute over the process that produced him as the PDP’s governorship candidate.
Pantami subsequently won the rerun primary conducted on September 29, defeating Khamisu Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry.
The Federal High Court in Gombe had, on September 24, nullified his initial emergence and ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary within 30 days, after finding that the earlier exercise did not comply with the party’s procedures and applicable electoral laws.
Punch
