2027: PDP Reacts As INEC Keeps Pantami, Adebutu And Gwarzo’s Fates Hanging After Deadline Closes

According to a report by The Punch on Sunday, October 25, 2026, the political futures of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, and former Ogun State governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, remain completely uncertain following the expiration of the Independent National Electoral Commission deadline to address candidate omissions for the upcoming February 2027 national general elections.

INEC attributed these sudden exclusions to the recent Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, which strictly upheld key sections of the Electoral Act requiring all political parties to submit and utilize valid membership registers for their internal primaries.

Despite this ruling, the Peoples Democratic Party and the Nigeria Democratic Congress maintain that they fully complied with all statutory provisions.

The PDP has already approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, filing a formal affidavit through its National Organising Secretary to challenge the exclusion of Pantami and Adebutu.

Party leaders across Gombe and Ogun states have expressed strong political optimism, describing the omissions as administrative errors while vowing to pursue every available legal option if the commission fails to rectify the final list.

In the same vein, the opposition Nigeria Democratic Congress strongly faulted the sudden removal of its Kano State governorship candidate, Aminu Gwarzo, and his running mate, noting that formal letters written directly to the electoral body by experienced party lawyers have yet to receive any substantive response from senior government authorities.

Amidst these growing political tensions, the National Association of Achievers Movement has urgently called on INEC to provide transparent public explanations regarding the legal basis for these disputed exclusions, demanding consistent application of electoral laws to all registered political parties and candidates ahead of the February 6 governorship polls.

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