The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed October 24, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to notify it of candidates they believe were wrongly omitted from the final list for the 2027 governorship elections.

The deadline follows a Supreme Court judgment affirming that political parties must comply with the statutory requirement to submit their membership registers before conducting valid primaries and sponsoring candidates for elections.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Haruna explained that the commission applied the Supreme Court's ruling in finalising the governorship candidates' list, excluding parties that failed to comply with Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

The judgment, delivered on September 24, 2026, in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, overturned an earlier Court of Appeal decision that had nullified the provisions requiring political parties to submit their membership registers.

According to INEC, the apex court affirmed that the provisions were constitutional and mandatory, alongside the commission's timetable requiring parties to submit their registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.

The commission maintained that failure to comply with the statutory requirements renders defaulting political parties ineligible to sponsor candidates for the election.

Haruna said INEC acted in accordance with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which requires compliance with decisions of the courts.

He, however, clarified that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had been published on September 12, 2026, before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment 13 days later.

INEC said the 14-day window for complaints under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, provides an opportunity for political parties that consider their candidates' omission wrongful to notify the commission by October 24.

The commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process.