2027: Fresh Setback for NDC as INEC Again Excludes Kwankwaso’s Governorship Ticket in Kano

According to a report by Vanguard on Saturday 31 October 2026, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has again left the governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, out of its updated final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections.

The latest omission, contained in the list released on Saturday, October 31, has renewed uncertainty over the status of the NDC governorship ticket, particularly after the party previously claimed that INEC had acknowledged the problem as an administrative error and promised to correct it.

Despite the earlier assurances, the names of Gwarzo and Kwankwaso remain missing from the Kano State section of the updated list, while candidates from several other political parties have been included.

Among the parties whose candidates appeared on the list are the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Action Alliance (AA), African Action Congress (AAC), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

The APC’s governorship ticket features Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and his running mate, Murtala Sule Garo; The PDP candidates listed are Abacha Muhammad Sani and Kibiya Yusuf Ado, while Ibrahim Ali Amin and Shehu Abdulkadir Bari appear on the ADC ticket.

However, the NDC candidates remain absent from the publication, despite the party’s insistence that it followed the required procedures for submitting their details.

The controversy began when INEC released its initial list of candidates approximately two weeks ago; At the time, Gwarzo and Kwankwaso were missing from the list of governorship candidates for Kano State.

Reacting to the development, Dr Yusuf Ibrahim Kofarmata, Secretary of the Kwankwasiyya Caucus and the NDC’s House of Representatives candidate in Kano, said the party had received assurances that the omission resulted from an error in entering the candidates’ information.

Kofarmata explained that Gwarzo completed his registration within the period stipulated by INEC and that the party submitted the relevant details through the commission’s online portal.

He further disclosed that the electoral body was working to address the problem, expressing confidence that the names of the governorship candidate and his running mate would be included in the subsequent publication.

The party also urged its supporters to remain calm and continue their political activities while awaiting a resolution.

However, the latest list has failed to reflect the anticipated correction, leaving the two candidates absent once again.

The continued omission raises questions about what happened to the promised correction and whether the NDC candidates will appear in a subsequent update.

As of the information contained in the report, INEC had not offered a fresh explanation for their continued absence from the updated list.

The situation leaves the NDC facing renewed uncertainty over its Kano governorship ticket as preparations for the 2027 elections continue.

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