INEC Approves 66 Candidate Petitions, Rejects 64 Over 2027 Governorship, Assembly Lists

INEC Approves 66 Candidate Petitions, Rejects 64 Over 2027 Governorship, Assembly Lists

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved 66 petitions seeking corrections to the final lists of candidates for the 2027 governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, while rejecting 64 others following a review of complaints submitted by political parties.

The commission disclosed this in a press statement issued on Thursday, October 29, 2026, explaining that it received a total of 130 petitions from political parties challenging aspects of the final candidates’ lists published on October 10.

According to INEC, 69 petitions were submitted by 12 political parties across 26 states in connection with the governorship election. Of these, 41 were successful, while 28 were rejected.

For the State Houses of Assembly elections, the commission received 61 petitions from 11 political parties across 11 states. Twenty-five petitions were upheld, while 36 were unsuccessful.

INEC said the complaints centred on the omission of political parties and candidates, the wrongful inclusion of candidates whose names were not contained in the membership registers submitted by their parties, and allegations of multiple nominations.

The commission explained that, after examining the complaints, relevant records and applicable legal provisions, it approved the inclusion of candidates and political parties whose petitions were found to have merit.

It also confirmed that some candidates previously included in the final lists had been removed after investigations established that their names were absent from the membership registers submitted by their respective political parties.

INEC further approved the removal of candidates whose nominations failed to meet applicable legal requirements, stressing that decisions concerning State Assembly candidates were based on specific complaints and established legal criteria.

The affected candidates, political parties and states will be reflected in an updated list to be published on the commission’s official website.

Reaffirming its commitment to electoral transparency, INEC assured political parties, candidates and Nigerians that it would continue to uphold the credibility of the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general election.

The statement was signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC).