The Independent National Electoral Commission has cleared Isa Ali Pantami, a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, and Abdulsalam Gwarzo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State, to stand in the 2027 elections — a clearance the commission says hinges on how pending court cases are resolved.

At the same time, the commission turned down a request from Ladi Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Ogun State, who had asked it to revisit his removal from the candidate list.

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An INEC source, speaking to Daily Trust after the commission met on Thursday, said 69 petitions had been filed by political parties over candidates left off the governorship and State House of Assembly lists. Roughly 36 of them succeeded, the source added, while the others failed.

“We received a total of 69 petitions from political parties. Some of them were successful, I think about 36, and the rest didn’t succeed,” the source said.

The source said the commission’s legal department was still finalising the figures and drafting the statement announcing the decisions.

Clearance tied to litigation

The commission raised no objection to either Isa Pantami or Gwarzo running, according to the source, though pending suits could still affect their eligibility.

“Yes, Pantami has been cleared,” the source said of the former minister’s status.

Gwarzo’s situation is different: his approval stays tied to the litigation over his candidacy. “Because of the court case, the court may rule otherwise. So his approval is subject to whatever the court finally decides,” the source said.

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The official stressed that neither man’s participation was in question while the legal matters remain unresolved. “But we have no issues with their contesting as candidates,” the source said.

Adebutu’s plea fared worse. “He did not succeed,” the official said of the Ogun State PDP candidate.

Omissions and court battles

The review followed complaints from candidates and parties whose names were dropped from the lists published ahead of the 2027 general elections. INEC blamed the omissions on alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires parties to submit their membership registers.

The commission said its position rested on a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, which upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5) to (7) of the Act and made the filing of membership registers compulsory.

Pantami and Gwarzo were among the prominent governorship hopefuls absent from the list INEC released in October.

Gwarzo went to court over the exclusion of himself and his running mate, Rabiu Mustapha, from Kano State’s governorship list. In an originating summons dated October 20, 2026, he asked the court to declare the exclusion unlawful and to compel INEC to recognise the pair as the NDC’s governorship candidates.

Pantami’s candidacy has likewise been contested in court, with the INEC source saying a hearing was expected on Friday.

Adebutu, for his part, disputed his removal from Ogun State’s final governorship list, maintaining that he is still a registered PDP member and met the party’s membership registration requirements.

A formal statement setting out the outcome of the review is expected from the commission.