The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is scheduled to publish the final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027, governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, with gubernatorial contests planned for 28 states.
The publication, expected on Saturday, October 10, follows the nomination process for political parties seeking to participate in the elections. The commission is required by law to make the candidates’ names and addresses public at least 60 days before the polls.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed that 21 of the country’s 22 registered political parties submitted nominations for the governorship elections. According to the figures announced, the parties nominated 936 candidates for governor and deputy governor across the 28 states.
A further 9,692 candidates were nominated for elections into the State Houses of Assembly, highlighting the scale of political participation expected in the 2027 electoral exercise.
Eight states will not hold governorship elections during the February 2027 polls because they operate under different electoral timetables. They are Edo, Bayelsa, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Imo, Anambra and Kogi.
However, the absence of governorship contests in these states will not affect legislative elections, as State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled to take place across all 36 states of the federation.
The 28 states listed for governorship elections are 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.
Under Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, INEC must publish the names and addresses of nominated candidates within the stipulated period before an election. Political parties that discover omissions from the published list are also entitled to notify the commission in accordance with the law.
Section 32(2) requires such complaints to be submitted in writing within 14 days of publication, accompanied by an affidavit and signed by the party’s national chairman and secretary.
The commission had earlier fixed September 19, 2026, as the deadline for candidate substitutions and September 26 for the submission of nomination forms. The final list is expected to clarify the candidates and parties cleared to participate in the elections as preparations advance towards the 2027 polls.
