Just In: NDC Candidate’s Name Still Missing on Updated Governorship List Ahead of 2027 Election
- INEC dropped NDC's Kano governorship candidate Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo from its updated 2027 candidates list, citing a court order
- Gwarzo's petition was initially approved alongside other candidates, but the clearance was tied to the outcome of pending court cases
- The NDC had taken INEC to a Federal High Court in Abuja on October 27 to challenge the earlier exclusion of its candidate
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering metro, government policies and international affairs.
Kano, Kano State - The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dropped the name of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, from its updated list of candidates for the 2027 elections, with the commission citing a court order as the reason for his continued exclusion.
A check on the INEC website showed that both Gwarzo and his running mate were absent from the updated list, with the remarks column against their entries reading "Court Order."
Source: Twitter
According to Daily Trust, the development reverses what had appeared to be a positive turn for the NDC candidate and has sparked concerns within the party.INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna had earlier confirmed that Gwarzo's petition over his initial omission was successful, but said publishing his name would depend on "the final outcome of an ex-parte order by a Federal High Court in Kano."
On October 29, reports indicated that INEC had cleared Gwarzo's petition, along with that of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, and several other candidates whose names had been left off the first list published on October 10, 2026. That clearance, however, was explicitly conditional on the resolution of pending legal proceedings, Vanguard noted.
NDC's Kano race in fresh doubt
The NDC had gone to a Federal High Court in Abuja on October 27 seeking a court order to compel INEC to include its candidate's name on the gubernatorial list.
The party had argued that Gwarzo met all requirements for participation and initially suggested his absence from the list was caused by a computer error.
Source: Twitter
INEC, for its part, explained that its decisions on the candidate list were shaped by legal requirements around political parties' submission of membership registers, following a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24 on the Electoral Act 2026.
With the updated list now maintaining Gwarzo's exclusion on the basis of a court order, the NDC's chances of fielding a candidate in the Kano governorship race remain uncertain. The party had previously protested his omission and expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved in its favour.
Read more on INEC
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- 715 INEC offices moved out of LG secretariats, chairman speaks
MURIC, SCSN demand sack of INEC boss
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) called for the immediate sack of the INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan.
The executive director of the Islamic group, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, posited that Amupitan cannot be trusted.
Similarly, the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) urged President Tinubu to review Amupitan’s appointment.
Source: Legit.ng
