The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed the names of the name of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Ladi Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun state, and his running mate from its final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election.
Isa Pantami, who recently won a fresh PDP governorship primary in Gombe state, is also removed from the commission’s final list for the state.
The final list for Ogun state contains 13 governorship candidates, while the Gombe state list has 16 candidates, but neither document includes a PDP candidate.
Adebutu and his deputy are absent from the Ogun list, which names Solomon Adeola as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, with Kudirat Balogun as his running mate.
In Gombe, the list identifies Jamil Gwamna as the APC governorship candidate, with Balah Adams as his running mate
The lists contain candidates’ names, political parties, running mates, ages, genders, qualifications and, where applicable, remarks.
The absence of Adebutu and Pantami from the lists comes amid political developments surrounding the PDP governorship tickets in the two states.
Pantami recently emerged as the party’s candidate in Gombe following a fresh primary, while Adebutu had been the PDP’s governorship candidate in Ogun.
The documents do not explain why the two candidates and their running mates are missing from the lists.
A review of INEC’s website also showed that the final list of governorship candidates for Rivers state was not available alongside those for other states.
It was unclear whether the Rivers list had yet to be uploaded or whether the commission planned to publish it separately.
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