2027 Politics Watch: Battle for place on ballot, Kano question INEC yet to answer

The All Progressives Congress (APC) wants a court to stop some of its former members from contesting next year’s elections under opposition parties in Niger State.

Among those whose nominations it is challenging are the governorship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP), both of whom left the ruling party after disagreements over its primary.

If the APC succeeds, candidates already nominated by opposition parties could be prevented from appearing on the ballot.

In Kano, another dispute raises a question for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC): why was a governorship candidate’s name missing from a list published on 10 October when the court order subsequently cited to explain his exclusion was reportedly issued on 27 October?

The candidate, Aminu Gwarzo of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), is demanding an explanation. He says his party has taken INEC to court and is preparing to challenge the restraining order.

In Ogun, the PDP is preparing legal action over the omission of governorship candidate Ladi Adebutu, while Accord is defending its nominations against a lawsuit brought by its national secretary.

APC challenges former members’ nominations in Niger

The Niger APC has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Minna against PDP governorship candidate Mohammed Nami, SDP candidate Mohammed Ndarani Mohammed and several other politicians who defected from the party.

INEC is the first defendant in the case, which LEADERSHIP reported was filed by 11 Senior Advocates of Nigeria led by Jacob Usman.

The suit names INEC, the PDP, SDP, ADC and NDC, alongside several politicians, including Senator Peter Jiya, NDC senatorial candidate Sadiq Rabiu and ADC deputy governorship candidate Musa Mamman.

The APC alleges that the politicians joined other parties without formally resigning their membership of the ruling party. It wants the court to refuse recognition of their defections and restrain INEC from recognising them as candidates or members of their new parties.

Mr Nami and Mr Ndarani emerged as governorship candidates of their respective parties after leaving the APC following disputes over its primaries.

The suit follows the Supreme Court’s judgement of 24 September, which restored Sections 77(5)–(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 governing party membership registers and candidate nominations.

The court held that the membership-register provisions do not automatically disqualify individual candidates. Whether the APC’s separate allegations about the politicians’ defections justify the orders sought remains for the Federal High Court to determine.

Kano’s disputed timeline

INEC omitted Aminu Gwarzo and his running mate, Mustapha Kwankwaso, from its governorship candidates’ list published on 10 October.

The omission was reported by PREMIUM TIMES the following day, when the NDC said commission officials had attributed it to a computer problem.

On 27 October, a Federal High Court in Kano reportedly issued an interim order restraining publication of the candidates’ names. INEC subsequently said Mr Gwarzo had satisfied its nomination requirements but that the court order prevented it from publishing his name.

Mr Gwarzo has questioned why his name was missing before the order was issued. He says the proceedings began on 17 October, although that filing date has not been independently confirmed.

During an interview with ARISE News, reported by LEADERSHIP, he accused officials linked to the Kano State Government and APC of working to prevent his participation in the election.

He alleged that the proceedings began without the candidates being served and said the NDC would seek to join the case and challenge the interim order. His allegation of political interference has not been independently substantiated.

The NDC has also approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order compelling INEC to include its governorship ticket on the candidates’ list.

The dispute has prompted protests by party supporters and criticism from former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, who accused political opponents of attempting to prevent the NDC from contesting.

INEC’s updated list still excluded the NDC ticket, citing the court order.

The commission has not publicly explained the original omission. The certified court order and INEC’s correspondence with the party would help establish the reasons for its decisions.

Ogun and Accord: Two more nomination battles

The PDP in Ogun State says it will approach the court after INEC declined to include Ladi Adebutu in its final list of governorship candidates.

The party’s publicity secretary, Kayode Adebayo, said proceedings would begin during the week but did not provide a filing date.

Mr Adebutu and his running mate were omitted from the 10 October list, although the PDP maintains that they satisfied the nomination requirements.

INEC subsequently reviewed petitions from political parties over excluded candidates but did not restore Mr Adebutu’s name.

The commission approved other requests, including PDP governorship candidate Isa Pantami’s in Gombe State.

That difference prompted questions from Ogun PDP supporters and the Egba Integrity Group, which accused INEC of applying the relevant legal requirements inconsistently.

The group threatened separate legal action unless INEC reconsidered its decision.

Accord, meanwhile, is defending its nominations against a suit brought by National Secretary Adebukola Ajaja.

The party has filed a preliminary objection challenging her standing to bring the action and arguing that the case was instituted outside the statutory period.

The dispute concerns who had authority to conduct and submit nominations on the party’s behalf.

It follows a Federal High Court judgment on 5 October ordering recognition of Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as Accord’s presidential candidate.

The preliminary objection does not overturn the earlier Federal High Court judgment recognising Mr Olawepo-Hashim as Accord’s presidential candidate.

Unlike the Niger suit, which challenges politicians who changed parties, the Kano and Ogun disputes concern INEC’s treatment of nominations. Accord’s case turns on who was authorised to submit its candidates.

Kebbi demolition dispute, South-west ADC response

The Kebbi State Government has denied ordering the demolition of property associated with ADC governorship candidate Abubakar Malami.

The denial followed allegations that suspected APC supporters demolished the property on government instructions.

The state government rejected the accusation, saying the matter involved a private land dispute and was being misrepresented as political intimidation.

Reports identified the property as being opposite Azbir Hotel along Sani Abacha Bypass in Birnin Kebbi. A businessman, Umaru Gulumbe, was named as another claimant to the land.

The ADC had earlier called for an independent investigation, maintaining that the property was lawfully acquired and developed.

Neither the government’s denial nor the ADC’s allegations establish who authorised the demolition. Ownership records and any demolition notice would be needed to determine responsibility.

Elsewhere in the ADC, the party’s South-west leadership issued a collective statement rejecting reports of a rift with presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.

National Vice Chairman Akin Omole and the six state chairmen reaffirmed their support for Atiku and rejected claims that the regional leadership had held a virtual meeting with him on 5 September to resolve an internal crisis.

They said an earlier gathering in Ibadan concerned party organisation and mobilisation, not opposition to the presidential candidate.

The statement followed complaints about the exclusion of party officials from campaign consultations. Atiku’s campaign had previously said state councils were yet to be inaugurated and nominations were still being collected, but no inauguration date has been announced.

Bayelsa disagreement, Rivers charter and Katsina defections

In Bayelsa, former governor Seriake Dickson criticised his successor, Douye Diri, for moving from the PDP to the APC.

Mr Dickson made the remarks during political activities associated with NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi’s visit to the state.

He accused Mr Diri of abandoning the party that brought him to office and urged voters to reject the APC in 2027. An aide to the governor reportedly declined to respond.

In Rivers, the APC and NDC explained the absence of their governorship candidates from a ceremony where five other candidates signed a 13-point citizens’ charter.

APC spokesperson Chibike Ikenga questioned whether Kingsley Chinda had been invited. The NDC said Dumo Lulu-Briggs received an invitation but couldn’t attend because of an engagement in Bayelsa.

The organisers maintained that both candidates were invited and could sign separately. Neither campaign said it opposed the charter.

In Katsinana, members of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) declared support for PDP governorship candidate Yakubu Danmarke at a rally on Sunday.

Organisers put the number of defectors at about 5,000, a figure that has not been independently verified.

What comes next

The Niger APC’s suit remains before the Federal High Court, while the NDC is pursuing legal action over the exclusion of its governorship ticket in Kano.

In Ogun, the PDP says it will approach the court this week over Ladi Adebutu’s omission from INEC’s list.

Atiku’s presidential campaign, meanwhile, is scheduled to launch in Sokoto on Wednesday, 4 November, following an earlier postponement.