The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has yet to announce when it will publish a corrected list of candidates for Nigeria’s 2027 elections, as it processes complaints from political parties and candidates over omitted names.

The commission said it was reviewing the submissions alongside relevant court orders and would publish the updated list once the necessary corrections had been completed.

Victoria Eta-Mesi, INEC’s director of information and voter education, confirmed the position to The Nation, saying no publication date had been fixed.

The delay follows concerns over the exclusion of some candidates from the lists released by the commission, with affected parties seeking changes ahead of the elections.

INEC had earlier invited political parties and candidates to submit complaints and supporting court orders, setting October 24 as the deadline for submissions.

The dispute follows a Supreme Court judgment concerning Section 77 of the Electoral Act, which relates to political party membership registers and their submission to INEC.

The list published for National Assembly elections included candidates who may have failed to comply with the relevant legal requirements following the judgment.

However, the commission excluded some candidates from the governorship and state House of Assembly election lists, prompting protests from political parties and their candidates.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) also wrote to INEC, requesting that the commission implement the Supreme Court judgment.

INEC is now reviewing the complaints and relevant legal documents to determine which candidates meet the requirements to appear on the final lists.

Commission Says Decisions Will Follow the Law

A senior source within INEC told The Nation that the commission would assess each complaint on its merits and in accordance with the Electoral Act and the Constitution.

The source said candidates who satisfy the legal requirements would be included, while those who fail to meet them would remain excluded.

The commission is also considering cases still before the courts. According to the source, INEC will review and comply with relevant judgments as they are delivered.

The process means that submitting a complaint does not automatically guarantee a candidate’s inclusion. Each case will depend on the applicable legal provisions, the evidence submitted and any binding court decisions.

At the time of the report, Olawepo Hashim’s name had not been uploaded to INEC’s website as the Accord Party’s candidate.

The delay came despite an earlier statement by INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, that the commission would respect the court’s judgment.

The report suggested that the delay might be connected to legal filings by the party, although INEC had not publicly confirmed the reason.

Accord Party National Chairman Maxwell Mgbudem told The Nation that the party had appealed the judgment but did not provide further details about the appeal.

The status of Hashim’s candidacy therefore remained unresolved in the information available at the time of publication.

INEC’s next step is to complete its review of complaints, make the necessary corrections and account for applicable court orders before publishing the revised list.

The timing remains uncertain because the commission has not announced a release date, and some disputes may depend on the outcome of ongoing court proceedings.

The corrected list will be important to candidates and political parties preparing for the 2027 elections, as it will clarify which aspirants have been accepted to contest under the applicable electoral rules.