Governorship candidates omitted from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s final list for the February 6, 2027, elections are expected to know their fate on Thursday as the commission meets to deliberate on the issue.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Among those affected are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidates in Gombe and Ogun states, Professor Isa Pantami and Ladi Adebutu, respectively.

INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna confirmed the development to The PUNCH on Wednesday, stating that the matter would be discussed at the commission’s next meeting.

He said the final list of candidates was on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting.

Other affected candidates include Aminu Gwarzo and Danjuma Laah, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidates in Kano and Kaduna states, respectively.

In Bauchi State, INEC also excluded four governorship candidates: Abdullahi Yakubu of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Musa Zubairu of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ahmed Shuaibu of the Action Alliance (AA), and Mohammed Aminu of Accord.

Their exclusion from the final list published on October 10 has sparked protests and legal challenges.

INEC explained that the candidates were removed because their political parties failed to submit their membership registers within the stipulated legal timeframe.

The commission cited the Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, which upheld Sections 77(5), 77(6), and 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026. The provisions make the submission of membership registers a requirement for conducting valid party primaries.

According to INEC, the Supreme Court also upheld its timetable requiring political parties to submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.

The electoral body maintained that parties that failed to comply had forfeited their right to nominate candidates. It added that Section 287(1) of the Constitution required it to enforce court decisions.

However, the affected political parties have rejected INEC’s position, insisting that they complied with all the relevant legal requirements.

The PDP has written to INEC over the omission of Pantami and Adebutu. On October 15, the party’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, also filed an affidavit at the Federal High Court Registry in Abuja to challenge the exclusions.

The party’s spokesperson, Mohammed Jungudo, warned that it would pursue legal action if the commission failed to resolve the matter.

In Ogun State, PDP Chairman Abayomi Tella expressed optimism that Adebutu’s name would be restored, describing the omission as an error.

Tella maintained that the party had fulfilled all legal requirements and remained confident that INEC would correct the omission.

An aide to Pantami also disclosed that the former minister was prepared to challenge his exclusion through all available legal means.

Pantami, who won a court-ordered rerun of the PDP governorship primary on September 29, had appeared on INEC’s provisional list published on August 29 but was omitted from the final list.

The NDC has similarly protested the exclusion of Gwarzo and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said the commission had acknowledged receipt of its letters but had yet to respond.

Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, political parties had until October 24—14 days after the publication of the final list—to notify INEC of candidates whose names were wrongly omitted.

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate clearance of more than 300 containers of electricity equipment that have been stranded at Nigerian ports for several years.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The equipment, according to reports, has remained at the ports for between 14 and 20 years due to unpaid charges and unresolved customs clearance procedures.

The Minister of Power, Olasunkanmi Tegbe, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday at the State House in Abuja, stating that the Federal Government would soon take steps to retrieve the items.

He explained that the directive was part of the government’s efforts to recover potentially useful electricity infrastructure and address persistent challenges affecting Nigeria’s power transmission network.

Tegbe described the prolonged detention of the equipment as unacceptable, noting that the containers had been left at the ports for years because previous administrations failed to settle outstanding charges and complete the necessary clearance processes.

According to the minister, Tinubu had directed the Ministry of Power to collaborate with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to resolve the outstanding issues and facilitate the release of the equipment.

The President also instructed the relevant agencies to reconcile outstanding charges, where necessary, to bring an end to the prolonged delays.

Tegbe added that technical experts would inspect the equipment after it had been cleared to determine its condition and whether it could be deployed within the country’s electricity network.

He stated that equipment found to be serviceable would be incorporated into ongoing power infrastructure projects, while obsolete or unusable materials would be appropriately disposed of.

However, the minister did not disclose the total value of the stranded equipment, the amount required to settle the outstanding charges, or the deadline for completing the clearance exercise.

Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, has warned that the appointment of Oluyemi Titilayo Adeyemi-Showunmi to head the Electoral Operations Department of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could undermine public confidence in the electoral body.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Adeyemi-Showunmi is the wife of Segun Showunmi, a member of the Communication and Strategy Committee of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.

Speaking during an interview on Arise News, Okonkwo expressed concern that her appointment could raise questions about the credibility of the 2027 general elections.

The ADC spokesman argued that the development presented a potential conflict of interest that could affect public perception of INEC’s impartiality.

He said, “Allowing the wife of Showunmi to be the electoral operations department officer is rigging the election before the time.”

Okonkwo explained that the Electoral Operations Department plays a critical role in the conduct of elections, including the distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive electoral materials, recruitment and training of ad hoc personnel, and coordination of polling and collation activities.

He further noted that the department is responsible for supervising returning officers during elections, making its leadership particularly important ahead of the 2027 polls.

According to him, the concern goes beyond whether the official would act impartially, stressing that any circumstance capable of creating a perception of bias should be addressed.

“We are not talking about whether there will be bias. We are saying that anything that has the likelihood of bias is not allowed,” he said.

The ADC spokesman also invoked the principle of conflict of interest, arguing that public officials should avoid situations that could reasonably raise doubts about their neutrality, even when actual bias has not been established.

Okonkwo maintained that his concerns were not necessarily an accusation against Adeyemi-Showunmi’s personal integrity, but rather about whether the circumstances surrounding her redeployment could weaken public trust in INEC’s independence and neutrality ahead of the 2027 general elections.