By taibat Ummi Yakubu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reinstated 66 governorship and State House of Assembly candidates following a review of complaints over omissions, disputed nominations and alleged irregularities in the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections.

The decision came after several political parties and candidates petitioned the commission over the final list published on October 10, 2026, raising concerns about the exclusion of some candidates and the inclusion of individuals allegedly not recognised in their parties' membership registers.

INEC had earlier promised to investigate the complaints in a statement issued on October 13, assuring affected parties that their petitions would be examined before a final decision was reached.

Announcing the outcome of the review on Thursday, Mohammed Haruna, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Commission's Information and Voter Education Committee, said INEC received complaints involving the omission of political parties, wrongful publication of candidates' names and alleged multiple nominations.

Haruna explained that the commission examined the petitions alongside relevant documents, party membership records and applicable electoral laws before deciding which complaints deserved attention.

While some candidates and political parties were cleared for reinstatement, others lost their places after INEC discovered that their nominations did not meet the required legal conditions. The commission also removed names that had been wrongly included in the earlier publication after confirming that the affected individuals were absent from their parties' membership registers.

Advertisement

Providing details of the exercise, Haruna disclosed that INEC received 69 petitions concerning governorship candidates from 12 political parties across 26 states. Of these, 41 were successful, while 28 were rejected.

For the State Houses of Assembly elections, the commission received 61 petitions from 11 political parties across 11 states. Only 25 petitions were upheld, while the remaining 36 were dismissed.

He stressed that the decisions were reached based on the evidence presented, the commission's established guidelines and the legal requirements governing the nomination of candidates.

INEC said the names of the affected candidates, political parties and states would be captured in an updated version of the final candidates' list, which would be made available on its official website.

The commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, fairness and the credibility of the electoral process, insisting that all complaints were considered in accordance with the law.