2027 polls: INEC unveils gov, Assembly candidates Saturday

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The Independent National Electoral Commission will on Saturday, August 29, display the list of candidates nominated by political parties for the February 6, 2027, governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.

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The governorship election will be conducted in 28 states, while state Houses of Assembly elections will be held in all 36 states of the federation.

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According to the electoral timetable, the governorship poll will take place in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Kwara, Benue, Plateau, Niger and Nasarawa states.

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Other states where governorship elections are scheduled are Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto.

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The elections will not be held in Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Edo, Bayelsa, Anambra, Imo and Kogi states, where governorship polls were held at different times because of the staggered electoral cycle.

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INEC had said the publication of the candidate lists was part of its preparations for the 2027 general election and would enable political parties, candidates and the public to verify the information submitted to the commission.

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The 22 registered political parties are expected to field new candidates in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kwara and Nasarawa, where the tenure of the incumbent governors will expire in 2027.

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The commission is also expecting political parties contesting the presidential and National Assembly elections to submit their final lists of candidates by Saturday, August 29.

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The deadline follows the August 22 deadline for candidates seeking to withdraw from the 2027 elections.

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Under Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2026, a candidate seeking to withdraw from an election is required to submit a written notice, signed by the candidate and accompanied by an affidavit, personally to the political party that nominated the candidate.

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The provision is intended to establish a formal process for candidates who decide to withdraw after being nominated by their political parties.

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INEC is expected to publish the final list of presidential and National Assembly candidates on Saturday, September 12.

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The list will include candidates for the Senate and House of Representatives, alongside those contesting the presidential election.

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With the August 29 deadline approaching, political parties are expected to conclude their candidate nomination and substitution processes ahead of the commission’s publication of the final lists.

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The February 6, 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections will form part of the wider electoral programme for the 2027 general elections.

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