PDP, ADC, NDC, LP Meet INEC Deadline Over Omitted Candidates

PDP, ADC, NDC, LP Meet INEC Deadline Over Omitted Candidates

Affected parties say they have complied with INEC’s requirements, but submission of complaints does not automatically guarantee reinstatement.

Several political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and Labour Party (LP), have been affected by the omission of candidates from lists published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 elections.

The development follows INEC’s decision to give affected political parties 14 days to report candidates they believed had been wrongly excluded from the published list, with the deadline expiring on October 24, 2026.

The PDP, NDC and Labour Party have reportedly confirmed that they took steps to comply with the commission’s requirements. However, the status of some affected candidates remains uncertain pending official clarification.

How the 14-Day Deadline Was Calculated

INEC published the final list of governorship candidates on October 10, 2026, and subsequently clarified that affected political parties had until October 24 to notify it of alleged wrongful omissions.

The commission’s directive followed concerns over candidates whose names were missing from the published list. The 14-day period was intended to allow affected parties to formally report the omissions and provide the required documentation.

Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, a political party that believes its candidate has been wrongly omitted is required to notify INEC in writing, supported by an affidavit signed by the party’s national chairman and national secretary.

The October 24 deadline was therefore for submitting complaints about the omissions. It did not automatically guarantee that any affected candidate would be reinstated.

As of October 26, the deadline had passed, leaving the commission’s consideration of submitted complaints and any subsequent official corrections central to determining the candidates’ final status.