2027 Elections: NDC Seeks INEC Talks as SDP Activates Legal Action Over Omitted Candidates

ABUJA — Political parties affected by the omission of some governorship candidates from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s final list for the 2027 general elections are pursuing different routes to secure their inclusion, with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) favouring negotiations and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) turning to the legal process.

The NDC said it was still engaging INEC to resolve the discrepancies and had not instituted any court action, while the SDP disclosed that it had prepared an affidavit and served the commission as part of its challenge.

The NDC said it intended to take advantage of the 14-day period provided under the Electoral Act 2026 to address errors identified in its submissions.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Araba Director, told Vanguard that the NDC was exploring all available legal and constitutional options to ensure its candidates were recognised.

“We have not gone to court. As a party, we are still discussing with INEC to arrive on the same 14-day window provided of the Electoral Act 2026 to correct the errors that are noted in the publication,” Director said.

He added: “We are exploring all legal and constitutional means to ensure that all our candidates are duly recognised.”

The SDP, however, said it had already initiated steps to challenge the omission of its candidate.

Its National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Abiyegba, confirmed that the party had served INEC with the relevant documents.

“We have done the affidavit, we are with it, we have served INEC. We have hope in the judiciary; the process, we have activated it,” he said.

INEC, for its part, said it would not respond to media reports about the omitted candidates and the affected political parties, calling for formal complaints instead.

The controversy extends beyond the NDC and SDP, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have also reported omissions from the final list.

The PDP’s governorship candidates in Oyo and Gombe states were reportedly left out, while the ADC’s candidate in Cross River and the SDP’s candidate in Benue were also missing.

In Kano, the NDC’s governorship candidate, Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo, and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, were absent from the list.

Dr Yusuf Ibrahim Kotamata, the NDC’s House of Representatives candidate in Kano, said the omission resulted from an error in entering the candidates’ information. He added that the party had been assured that INEC was taking steps to correct the discrepancy.

Kotamata said Gwarzo completed his registration within the prescribed period and that the party submitted the relevant details through INEC’s online portal.

The NDC governorship candidate in Cross River, John Upan Odey Jr, also characterised the omission as a “bureaucratic error”, adding that the problem affected candidates in other states.

PDP Begins Talks to Resolve Omissions

The PDP said it had opened discussions with INEC to resolve the issue in accordance with electoral laws and established guidelines.

Its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, said the party was taking the matter seriously and remained committed to addressing concerns surrounding the legitimacy of the process.

In Ogun State, the PDP governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebulu, insisted that his omission would not derail his political ambition.

He said he had completed his digital registration and submitted the required documents within the stipulated period.

Meanwhile, the SDP’s governorship candidate in Benue State, Prof. Sebastian Hon, SAN, expressed confidence that the omission would be rectified.

The NDC said it would continue to pursue every available legal option to ensure that its candidates were included on INEC’s final list.

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