The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, have threatened legal action if the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, fails to include their omitted candidates in the final list for the 2027 general elections by October 24.

The two parties vowed to sue INEC if it fails to restore the names of their governorship candidates who were excluded from the list published ahead of the February 2027 governorship elections. The deadline given by INEC for parties to report cases of wrongful exclusion expires on Friday, October 24, 2026.

The affected candidates include Ladi Adebutu of the PDP in Ogun State, Isa Ali Pantami of the PDP in Gombe State, and Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo of the NDC in Kano State. Their running mates were also reportedly omitted from the list published on October 9, 2026.

INEC had published the final list of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates on its website, with the list signed by the Secretary of the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony. The publication sparked protests and allegations of political interference after several prominent candidates were missing.

According to INEC, the omissions were based on failure of political parties to comply with Sections 77(5) to 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which require parties to submit their membership registers at least twenty one days before primaries. The commission said its decision followed a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, which upheld the constitutionality of the provisions.

The commission has however given political parties a fourteen day window in line with Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act to notify it of alleged wrongful omissions. The Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said the commission had received formal complaints from some political parties and that the submissions were being carefully reviewed.

The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, said it was engaging INEC to resolve the omissions and urged affected candidates and supporters to remain calm while discussions continued. The party said it was treating the development with utmost seriousness and would communicate further updates as appropriate.

The NDC said it had formally written to INEC to restore the names of its candidates. The National Publicity Secretary of the NDC, Osa Director, said the party will use every available legal means to ensure its candidates names are restored on the list, insisting that they met all constitutional and legal requirements.

In Kano, the exclusion of Gwarzo triggered protests by supporters of the Kwankwasiyya movement. The protesters, led by the deputy governorship candidate, Mustapha Rabi’u Kwankwaso, marched to INEC’s office and submitted a petition demanding the reinstatement of the party’s candidate. Similarly, Pantami, through his counsel, Ahmed Raji, SAN, has petitioned INEC, arguing that the removal of a nominated candidate’s name is exclusively a judicial act.

As of the time of filing this report, INEC said it was processing all complaints received and would act in accordance with the law before the October 24 deadline.