Political titans fall as INEC unveils final candidates list

By Sam Agogo

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled its final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, leaving out several prominent politicians in a development that has sent shockwaves through the nation’s political landscape and set the stage for what could become a fierce legal and political contest ahead of the polls.
Among the notable figures missing from the ballot are former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami; Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu; former Kano State Deputy Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo; former President Goodluck Jonathan; Senator Ned Nwoko; former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel; former Gombe State Governor Danjuma Goje; and Senator Garba Maidoki.

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The exclusions have generated widespread reactions, not only because of the stature of those affected but also because many of them had emerged from party primaries and were already positioning themselves for the campaign season.

In Gombe State, the omission of Pantami from the governorship list came as a major surprise. The former minister had emerged as the PDP candidate and was widely regarded as one of the key contenders in the race. In Ogun State, the absence of Adebutu and his running mate, Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, has equally stirred concern among PDP supporters who believed the party had fulfilled all the requirements necessary for participation in the election.

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Kano State produced another major talking point with the exclusion of Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, from the governorship ballot. The development has drawn attention because of Gwarzo’s political influence and his association with the powerful Kwankwasiyya movement.

The list of omitted governorship candidates extends beyond these states. Former Senator Danjuma Tella La’ah of the NDC in Kaduna State, Professor Sebastine Hon of the Social Democratic Party in Benue State and Shuaibu Kubi of the Accord Party in Nasarawa State were also left out of the final list.
Several Action Alliance candidates suffered a similar fate. Among them are Eke Israel in Rivers State, Titilola-Sodo Dayo in Oyo State, Abdullah-Bukharin in Nasarawa State and Zubairu Musa in Bauchi State. The African Democratic Congress also protested the omission of its deputy governorship candidate in Jigawa State, Aminu Ringim, while the African Action Congress candidate in Kwara State, Duwatsu Musa, was equally excluded.

The National Assembly lists were not spared. Missing from the senatorial ballot were Ned Nwoko of Delta North, former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel of Ogun East, former Gombe State Governor Danjuma Goje of Gombe Central and Senator Garba Maidoki of Kebbi South. Also absent was former House of Representatives member Mansur Soro, who represented Darazo/Ganjuwa Federal Constituency in Bauchi State.

At the state assembly level, notable omissions were also recorded. In Lagos State, Ganiyu Egunjobi and Azeez Ninalowo, who reportedly emerged from the APC primaries for Agege Constituencies I and II respectively, did not make the final list. The Lagos State House of Assembly Majority Leader, Noheem Adams, was also reportedly replaced despite winning his party’s primary election.

While the omissions have been linked by many political observers to the recent Supreme Court judgment that restored strict compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act regarding party membership registers and nomination procedures, the explanation has left many unanswered questions.

If the Supreme Court ruling is indeed the basis for the exclusion of these candidates, why then were other politicians not affected by the same decision?

That question has become one of the biggest issues arising from the publication of the final list.
Several candidates whose parties conducted primaries under similar political and legal circumstances remain on the ballot. Some politicians who faced membership disputes, primary election challenges and nomination controversies were eventually cleared by INEC and retained as candidates.
Political analysts argue that this apparent disparity warrants further explanation. If the law was applied strictly, the commission owes Nigerians a detailed account of how compliance was measured and why certain candidates survived the process while others did not.

The absence of such clarification has created room for speculation, suspicion and competing narratives.
Some political parties insist that their candidates complied fully with all legal requirements and that their exclusion may have resulted from administrative or procedural issues. Others believe the matter goes beyond the Supreme Court ruling and may involve unresolved disputes arising from party primaries, candidate substitutions and litigation.
For many observers, transparency is now critical. Electoral laws must not only be enforced; they must be seen to be enforced fairly and consistently. Where major political actors are excluded from the ballot, the public deserves a clear explanation. Anything short of that risks undermining confidence in the electoral process.

With campaigns set to commence in earnest, several of the affected politicians and political parties are expected to explore legal remedies available under the Electoral Act. Court actions, petitions and engagements with the electoral commission are likely to intensify in the coming weeks as those left out seek to reclaim their places on the ballot.

For now, however, INEC’s final list has fundamentally altered political calculations in several states. Ambitions that once appeared secure have suddenly been thrown into uncertainty, while rival candidates may find themselves benefiting from an unexpected reshaping of the electoral field.
Whether the omissions were the product of strict legal compliance, administrative decisions or unresolved political disputes, one thing is certain: the publication of the final list has produced some of the earliest casualties of the 2027 electoral season.
As the nation moves closer to Election Day, the debate is no longer merely about who will win at the polls. For a number of political heavyweights, the more immediate battle is over whether they will even appear on the ballot in the first place.

For comments, reflections and further conversation:
Email: samuelagogo4one@yahoo.com
Phone: +2348055847364

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