The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has provisionally cleared former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, to contest the 2027 governorship elections. ​
The decision followed an executive review of pending petitions, court judgments, and administrative appeals arising from the final candidate lists published on October 10, 2026. ​The provisional clearance was finalized during an evening executive session of senior commission officials on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at the INEC National Headquarters, located on Plot 436 Zambezi Crescent, Maitama, Abuja. ​
Addressing journalists shortly after the session at the INEC Media Centre in Abuja, Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, noted that the electoral body remains committed to adhering to judicial outcomes and administrative fairness.
He emphasized that the commission continuously evaluates valid court orders and supplementary filings submitted by political parties, executing appropriate provisional inclusions in line with the Electoral Act wherever procedural omissions or legal resolutions mandate an update to the official records. ​
The resolution restores Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in Gombe State after his initial exclusion from the October 10 roster. Pantami’s legal team, led by Ahmed Raji, SAN, had issued a three-day ultimatum on October 12, citing judgments from Federal High Court suits FHC/GM/CS/9/2026 and FHC/GM/CS/10/2026 that affirmed his party membership and validated his direct primary rerun win of September 29, 2026. ​
Welcoming the commission’s determination during a news briefing at the party’s Wadata Plaza headquarters in Abuja, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba described the provisional clearance as a vital step toward rectifying an initial irregularity and ensuring that the democratic mandate of Gombe State voters is respected.
​Similarly, the decision reinstates former Kano State Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, onto the official contest slate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State after their prior omission sparked legal filings at the Federal High Court in Abuja. ​
Reacting from Kano, NDC National Publicity Secretary Mallam Abdullahi Musa expressed cautious optimism, stating that while the party welcomes the executive decision, it expects the full, unconditional publication of Gwarzo’s name on the main electronic candidate portal without further administrative delays. ​
While Pantami and Gwarzo received favorable determinations, sources within the commission revealed that separate appeals, including a review request submitted by PDP governorship candidate Ladi Adebutu in Ogun State, were not granted during the Thursday evening session.
