October 11, (THEWILL) – Following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s publication of its final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship and House of Assembly elections, political parties and their candidates are coming to terms with the recent Supreme Court judgement on the regulatory powers of the Commission over parties and the submission and use of political parties’ membership registers for primaries, congresses and conventions.
Reports show that the lists, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony and published on the INEC website on Saturday, omitted the names of governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party for Ogun and Gombe states, Ladi Adebutu and Isa Ali Pantami respectively. Among the 13 candidates in Ogun and 16 in Gombe, none of them are from the PDP.
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 recently suffered a legal setback when aggrieved members of the party took him to court, which granted their plea of non-membership of the former Minister of Digital Economy. Justice Amina Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Gombe on September 23 nullified Pantami’s victory and directed the party to conduct another primary within 30 days. In a subsequent primary election conducted by the party on September 30, he won the ticket. INEC’s publication omitting his name appears to have confirmed the claims of party leaders who sued him.
Also affected is the Kano State governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Aminu Gwarzo and his Nasarawa counterpart, Musa Shugaba-Abdullahi. Included in the list is the All Progressives Congress candidate in River State, Kingsley Chinda, despite controversy over his nomination.
In Edo State, where only candidates for the House of Assembly would participate in the 2027 polls as the governorship is an off-cycle event, an analysis of the final list released by the INEC on Saturday in Benin shows that 164 candidates will contest in the election.
Among these candidates, 148 are men, representing 90.24 per cent, while only 16 are women, accounting for 9.76 per cent These figures translate to an approximate male-to-female ratio of 9:1, underscoring the limited presence of women among those seeking to represent 24 constituencies in the state legislature.
Among the female candidates on the list are Memo Akerele of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), contesting in Akoko Edo I at 30; Elizabeth Dauda of the Labour Party (LP), Akoko Edo II, aged 51; and Negbedion Shirley of the SDP, Esan North East I, aged 33.
Others include Maria Edeko of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Esan North East II, aged 63; Mercy Bello of the African Action Congress (AAC), Etsako West I, aged 37; and Salamatu Izuagie of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), also in Etsako West I, aged 63.
Egor Constituency has several female candidates on the list, including Bukky Ayetan of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), aged 30; Bridget Obakpolor of the LP, aged 54; Natasha Osawaru of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), aged 32; and Imuetinyan Bright of the SDP, aged 45.
Other women include Osarenkhoe Erhunmwunse and Tracy Ogiemwonyi in Ikpoba-Okha Constituency; Patience Edobor and Helen Omorogbe in Orhionmwon Constituency 1; Uyigue Efosa in Ovia North East Constituency I; and Omosede Adenomo in Ovia South West Constituency.
In spite of these individual candidacies, the figures show that women remain a small minority in the race, potentially limiting their representation in the next Assembly if the imbalance is reflected in the election results.
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Beyond gender, the candidate list features aspirants from different age groups, ranging from young contenders to candidates in their sixties. Idriss Idriss of the SDP, contesting in Etsako West Constituency 11 at 26, is the youngest candidate on the list.
Other young aspirants include Johnson Ipeshi of the SDP in Akoko Edo Constituency II, aged 28; Odia Godwin of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Esan South East Constituency, aged 29; and Edobor Patience of the ADP, Orhionmwon Constituency 1, also aged 29.
NAN observes that their participation reflects the interest of younger Nigerians in elective politics, following years of advocacy for greater youth inclusion, including the Not Too Young To Run movement.
At the other end of the age spectrum, older candidates are also seeking legislative seats.
Nosakhare Igbinedion of the Action Peoples Party (APP), contesting in Orhionmwon Constituency 11, is 66, while Omorogbe Helen of the APP, Orhionmwon Constituency 1, is 65.
Meanwhile, the candidate list features a broad range of political parties, including the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), alongside the SDP, LP, ADC, ADP, NDC, APP, YPP, AAC, Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Alliance (AA) and National Rescue Movement (NRM).
The range of parties reflects participation beyond the country’s two dominant political platforms. The Persons with Disabilities (PWD) column records “None” for every candidate on the list, indicating that no PWD would contest in the state Assembly election.
In Akwa Ibom State, incumbent Governor Umo Eno of the APC, Senator John Akpanudoedehe of the ADC, Mr Michael Bush, and Dr Michael Enyong of the NDC are among the 21 governorship candidates on the Commission’s final list for the 2027 election.
The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom Northwest), Senator Aniekan Bassey (Akwa Ibom Northeast), Senator Ekong Sampson (Akwa Ibom South), and candidates from other political parties listed earlier also made the final list.
Other governorship candidates are Victoria Akpan (New Nigeria Peoples Party), Akpan Michael Udoh (National Democratic Party), Ekpenyong Akaniyene Effiong (Boot Party), Akpan Jeremiah Udoh (Democratic Leadership Party), and Umoh Emem (Action Peoples Party).
The list also includes Udoh Stephen Mfon (African Action Congress), Otong Edidiong Effiong (Action Alliance Party), Archibong Inimfon Nsikak (African Democratic Party), and Jimmy Stella Monday (All Progressives Grand Alliance), among others.
Other state offices of the Commission are still pasting the final lists as of press time on Saturday.
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.
