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INEC’s final Cross River governorship list has only eight candidates, leaving out ADC’s Nkoyo Toyo and NDC’s John Upan Odey Jr.
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Odey describes the omission as a “bureaucratic error” and says stakeholders will engage INEC on Monday for a resolution.
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The final field represents a significant change from the earlier candidate list, which included ADC and NDC alongside other parties.
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INEC has yet to publicly explain the omissions, leaving the electoral fate of the affected candidates uncertain ahead of 2027.
October 12, (THEWILL) – The 2027 governorship race in Cross River State has run into fresh controversy following the omission of candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) from the final list published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The development has left the electoral fate of ADC candidate, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, and her NDC counterpart, John Upan Odey Jr., uncertain, with the latter blaming what he called a “bureaucratic error” and announcing moves to engage INEC for a resolution.
INEC’s final list, signed by the Commission’s Secretary, Mrs Rose Oriaran-Anthony, contains only eight governorship candidates and their running mates. It was released on Saturday as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.
The parties appearing on the list are the Action Alliance (AA), Action Democratic Party (ADP), All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Peoples Party (APP), Labour Party (LP), National Rescue Movement (NRM) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Conspicuously missing are the ADC and NDC, despite both parties having previously presented candidates for the Cross River contest.
Odey: It Is A Bureaucratic Error
Odey, however, moved on Sunday to calm concerns over his candidacy, insisting that his absence from the final list was not the result of his disqualification but an administrative error.
“The omission is a bureaucratic error by INEC, not peculiar to Cross River. Kano and six other states were also affected. By Monday, INEC and stakeholders will engage to sort out the matter,” he said.
The ADC candidate, Toyo, was also contacted over her absence from the list. Unlike Odey, the ADC candidate had not publicly attributed her omission to any particular reason.
Otu, Javis Make Final Eight
While controversy surrounds the missing candidates, Governor Bassey Edet Otu remains firmly on the list as the APC candidate for the election.
Otu, who is seeking another term in office, is listed alongside Hon. Peter Odey Agbe as his running mate.
Sir Arthur Javis Archibong is the PDP governorship candidate, with Alphonsus Eba Ogar as his running mate.
The other six governorship candidates are Ali Patrick of the AA; Joelyne Ita Hogan-Bassey of the ADP; Esege Ntami Nkanu of the APM; Nya Basil Bassey of the APP; Obu Ogar Osim of the LP; and Chigbe Chioma Vivian of the NRM.
The final eight governorship candidates are:
- AA — Ali Patrick — 58
- ADP — Joelyne Ita Hogan-Bassey — 39
- APC — Otu Bassey Edet — 66
- APM — Esege Ntami Nkanu — 46
- APP — Nya Basil Bassey — 35
- LP — Obu Ogar Osim — 49
- NRM — Chigbe Chioma Vivian — 46
- PDP — Archibong Arthur Javis — 64
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More Than ADC, NDC Missing
The final list also reveals a broader narrowing of the Cross River governorship field. Earlier candidate information had indicated a 12-candidate race.
Apart from ADC and NDC, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP), which had featured in the earlier field, are also absent from the final list.
INEC has not publicly explained the circumstances behind the changes.
Beyond Cross River, the controversy also comes against a more complicated legal environment for political parties following the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026 judgment restoring Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026.
Among other requirements, the restored provisions deal with political party membership registers used for primaries and the circumstances under which parties can field candidates.
The judgment is important because Section 77(7) goes to party eligibility to field candidates where the statutory requirement for submission of a membership register is not met, rather than simply the personal eligibility of an individual aspirant.
There is, however, no official statement from INEC linking the omission of Toyo or Odey to that Supreme Court judgment.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
