INEC to publish final list of governorship, assembly candidates Saturday

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

The commission’s planned release is in line with Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which stipulates the period within which the list of candidates must be made public before an election.

The provision states that “the Commission shall, at least 60 days before the day of the election, publish by displaying or causing to be displayed at the relevant office or offices of the Commission and on the Commission’s website, a statement of the full names and addresses of all candidates standing nominated”.

The law also outlines the steps political parties must take if they discover that the name of their candidate has been omitted from the published list.

According to Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, “A registered political party that observes that the name of its candidate is missing on the list published in accordance with subsection (1) shall notify the Commission in writing, signed by its National Chairman and Secretary, supported with an affidavit within 14 days after the publication”.

The provision gives political parties a 14-day window after publication to formally notify INEC of any omission, provided the complaint is submitted in writing, signed by the party’s national chairman and secretary, and supported by an affidavit.

While addressing a World Press Conference and stakeholders meeting on Tuesday, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan announced that 21 of the 22 registered political parties nominated 936 Governorship/Deputy Governorship candidates for the 28 states where the governorship elections will take place, and 9,692 State House of Assembly candidates.

Sources within the Commission told The Nation that officials have been compiling the final list of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates ahead of its release.

The Governorship election is expected to take place in 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 states.

Also, Governorship election will not take place in Edo, Bayelsa, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Imo, Anambra and Kogo states.

However, State House of Assembly elections will take place in all states of the federation except in the Federal Capital Territory, which has the National Assembly as its legislative arm.

At the time of this report, the party did not field candidates in the governorship and House of Assembly elections could not be verified, and the number of candidates per political party could also not be ascertained.

The window for substituting candidates for the governorship and state House of Assembly elections closed on Saturday, September 19, while the last day to submit the nomination form (Form EC 13A-E) closed on Saturday, September 26, 2026.

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