2027 Election: INEC Announces Date to Release Final List of Governorship, State Assembly Candidates
- INEC has set a date to publish its final list of governorship and state assembly candidates for the February 2027 elections
- INEC chairman Professor Joash Amupitan confirmed 21 of 22 registered parties nominated candidates across 28 states holding governorship polls
- The publication is required by law at least 60 days before election day, and parties have 14 days to flag any missing names
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policies and international affairs.
FCT, Abuja - The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will publish the final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 Governorship and State House of Assembly elections on Saturday, October 10, 2026, as required under section 32(1) of the 2026 Electoral Act.
The Nation and TVC News reported this development on Friday, October 9.
Source: Twitter
INEC names 28 states for governorship elections
The provision mandates INEC to display, at least 60 days before polling day, the full names and addresses of all nominated candidates at its offices and on its official website.
INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, speaking at a recent World Press Conference and stakeholders meeting, said 21 of the 22 registered political parties submitted nominations for the governorship elections. A total of 936 Governorship and Deputy Governorship candidates were nominated across the 28 states scheduled to hold governorship contests, alongside 9,692 candidates for State House of Assembly seats.
The one party that did not field candidates in either the governorship or House of Assembly elections could not be confirmed at the time of this report, and the breakdown of candidates by party was also not immediately available.
Governorship elections will hold in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Delta, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Niger, Nasarawa, Kwara, Benue, Plateau, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara and Sokoto states. The exercise will not take place in Edo, Bayelsa, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Imo, Anambra and Kogi states.
State House of Assembly elections will be conducted in all 36 states, with the Federal Capital Territory excluded since it is served by the National Assembly at the federal level.
Source: Twitter
INEC sets October 10 candidate list release
The deadline for parties to substitute candidates for both the governorship and state assembly races closed on September 19, 2026, while the final date for submitting the nomination form, Form EC 13A-E, was September 26, 2026.
Once the final list is published on October 10, section 32(2) of the Electoral Act gives any registered political party that notices a missing candidate 14 days to notify the commission in writing. Such a notification must be signed by the party's National Chairman and Secretary, and supported with an affidavit.
Sources within INEC confirmed that officials have been compiling the candidate lists ahead of the scheduled release date.
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ChatGPT predicts winner of 2027 election
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that ChatGPT predicted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would likely win Nigeria's 2027 presidential election, using the Four Horsemen framework.
It cited the opposition coalition but said the APC had the edge due to possible low voter turnout and the Tinubu administration's efforts to stabilise the economy.
Source: Legit.ng
