INEC TO RELEASE FINAL LIST OF 2027 GOVERNORSHIP, ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES AS POLITICAL PARTIES AWAIT:

2027 ELECTIONS: INEC SET TO RELEASE FINAL LIST OF GOVERNORSHIP, ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES OCTOBER 10

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is scheduled to publish the final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027, governorship and State House of Assembly elections on Saturday, October 10, 2026.

The publication is in line with Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which requires the Commission to release candidates’ names and addresses at least 60 days before the election.

According to reports by The Nation, INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed during a press conference and stakeholders’ meeting that 21 of Nigeria’s 22 registered political parties submitted a total of 936 governorship and deputy governorship candidates across 28 states, alongside 9,692 candidates for State Houses of Assembly.

Sources within the Commission reportedly confirmed that preparations were ongoing to compile the final list ahead of its scheduled release.

STATES TO HOLD GOVERNORSHIP ELECTIONS

The governorship polls are scheduled for 28 states, including Kwara, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Niger, Kano, Kaduna, Rivers, Enugu, Benue, Bauchi, Sokoto and Katsina, among others.

Governorship elections will not hold in states where separate election cycles apply, including Edo, Bayelsa, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Imo and Anambra.

State House of Assembly elections, however, are scheduled to take place across the 36 states of the federation.

SUBSTITUTION DEADLINE ALREADY CLOSED

INEC’s timetable indicates that the deadline for substituting governorship and Assembly candidates expired on September 19, 2026, while the final date for submitting nomination forms was September 26, 2026.

Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, a registered political party that discovers its candidate’s name is missing from the published list must notify INEC in writing within 14 days, supported by an affidavit and signed by the party’s National Chairman and Secretary.

The release of the final list is expected to provide greater clarity on the candidates officially nominated by political parties as preparations intensify for the 2027 elections.