Guber polls : INEC lists Wike’s ally, Chinda, omits Kwankwaso’s man, Gwarzo, PDP’s Adebutu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released its final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections, clearing former House of Representatives Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, for Rivers State while omitting the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, in Kano and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Ladi Adebutu, in Ogun State.

The lists, signed by INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, and published on the commission’s website on Saturday, contain 19 governorship candidates for Rivers, 17 for Kano and 13 for Ogun State.

Chinda, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, appeared as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Rivers State, despite the controversy surrounding his political defection and emergence as the party’s flag bearer.

His inclusion has attracted attention because reports of his defection from the PDP to the APC had not generated significant public attention before his name appeared on the final list.

The development comes amid heightened scrutiny of political parties’ membership records following the Supreme Court’s restoration of Sections 77(5), (6), (7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026.

The provisions bar political parties from presenting candidates whose names are absent from the membership register submitted to INEC within the stipulated period.

Chinda, listed at number five among the 19 candidates cleared for Rivers State, will now be among those seeking to contest the governorship election in the oil-rich state.

In Kano State, however, Gwarzo – a strong loyalist of NDC vice presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who was expected to represent the party, is conspicuously absent from INEC’s final list.

The commission’s document contains 17 candidates and their running mates from various political parties, but neither Gwarzo nor any candidate representing the NDC appears on the list.

Among those included is Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of the APC, alongside Abacha Muhammed Sani of the PDP and candidates from several other political parties.

The other parties represented include the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Action Alliance (AA), African Action Congress (AAC), Action Democratic Party (ADP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and New Democratic Party (NDP), among others.

INEC did not provide an explanation for the NDC’s absence from the published document.

Consequently, it remains unclear whether Gwarzo’s omission is connected to the party’s nomination process, membership records, documentation or another issue.

The absence of the NDC candidate raises questions about the party’s participation in the Kano governorship contest, although the published list does not establish the reason for the omission.

A similar development has emerged in Ogun State, where the PDP and its expected candidate, Adebutu, are missing from the list of 13 governorship candidates released by INEC.

Adebutu’s omission comes amid controversy over allegations that his name was absent from the PDP membership register submitted to the electoral commission.

Some groups had questioned his eligibility to contest the election on the grounds of the alleged omission from the register.

The Ogun State chapter of the PDP, however, rejected the allegations, maintaining that Adebutu was a registered member of the party and that it had complied with the legal requirements governing membership registration and submission of its register to INEC.

The commission’s final list did not include Adebutu among the candidates cleared for the February 2027 election.

INEC’s published document contains candidates’ names, political parties, ages, genders and educational qualifications, alongside details of their deputy governorship candidates.