Gov poll: INEC unveils 2027 gladiators

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The Independent National Electoral Commission on Saturday released the names and particulars of governorship candidates and their running mates across the country.

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The publication, contained in Form EC9, was pasted at INEC headquarters across the states, effectively ending uncertainty over candidates that will fly the flags of the major political parties in the country.

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The All Progressives Congress, African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peoples Democratic Party and Allied Peoples Movement dominated the lists, which contain the ages of candidates, their educational backgrounds and other credentials.

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With the release, the commission has formally opened a new phase of the 2027 electoral process, with campaigns for the governorship and state House of Assembly elections expected to begin in September 2026 and end on February 4, 2027.

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According to the INEC timetable, the 2027 governorship and state House of Assembly elections will hold on February 6.

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State-by-state gov candidates

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Sunday PUNCH gathered that 16 candidates will contest the Oyo State governorship seat.

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The APC candidate, Sharafadeen Alli, will battle Governor Seyi Makinde-backed Bimbo Adekambi of the Allied Peoples Movement and Yinusa Ayandare of the African Democratic Party.

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In Lagos, 17 candidates, including the state’s current Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat of the APC, and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the ADC, are contesting the governorship seat.

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In Kaduna State, Governor Uba Sani of the APC will face 17 other contestants, while Kebbi State has 14 governorship candidates.

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In Delta State, 16 candidates are battling for the state’s top political seat.

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No fewer than 19 political parties will also participate in the Sokoto State governorship election.

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In Kwara, 12 governorship candidates will participate in the election.

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The Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, who is the candidate of the APC, will slug it out with the PDP candidate, Bolakale Kawu, and 10 others.

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Similarly, Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, is being challenged by 15 other governorship candidates in the state.

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For Bauchi State, 19 candidates were listed by INEC as individuals eyeing to succeed Governor Bala Muhammed.

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Among the candidates is a female politician, Lami Babageidam of the Zenith Labour Party.

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Also, Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, will be contending with five other governorship candidates, including a former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, of the Peoples Democratic Party.

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In Kano, Governor Abba Yusuf of the APC will contest against the other governorship candidates, including that of the NDC, Aminu Gwarzo, the Labour Party’s Mohammed Raji, and the PDP’s Muhammad Dalhatu.

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For Rivers State, 19 governorship candidates will participate in the election.

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Meanwhile, no fewer than 17 governorship candidates have emerged in Gombe State as disclosed by INEC Public Affairs Officer, Mohorret Bigun.

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In Ogun, 13 political parties fielded candidates for the governorship election.

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The candidates include Solomon Adeola of the APC, Oladipupo Adebutu of the PDP, and Jimi Lawal of ADC.

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Similarly, INEC unveiled 14 candidates for the Jigawa State governorship election.

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For Ebonyi, Governor Francis Nwifuru will slug it out with the PDP governorship candidate, Ifeanyi Odii, and other contenders. Odii was Nwifuru’s major challenger in the 2023 governorship poll.

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INEC to print sensitive election materials locally

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Also, INEC said all sensitive materials to be used for the 2027 elections, including ballot papers and result sheets, will be printed locally.

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The INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this during an interview with Sunday PUNCH on Saturday.

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He stated that the commission had inspected local printing companies and was satisfied with their capacity and security arrangements to handle the production of sensitive election materials.

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Haruna said the printing of ballot papers and result sheets would be done close to the elections because of their sensitive nature, while the materials would subsequently be delivered to the Central Bank of Nigeria for safekeeping and distribution.

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“Everything is going to be printed locally. Sensitive materials, for us, are ballot papers and the result sheets, and we don’t print those ones early because they are sensitive.

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“So, it’s fairly close to the election that we print and deliver them to CBN, and from there, they are normally collected and distributed in the presence of everybody, including civil society organisations, media, party agents,” he said.

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The national commissioner said INEC had already commenced the procurement and production of non-sensitive election materials, including ballot boxes, as part of preparations for the 2027 polls.

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He added that the commission had also placed orders for other critical election equipment, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines, while banners were being produced to meet anticipated shortfalls.

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Haruna further explained that INEC had identified local printers with sufficient capacity to handle the production of ballot papers and other election materials.

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“Ballot papers are already set to be printed by local printers. We have local printers that are up to the capacity,” he said.

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However, the national commissioner identified the shortened electoral timetable as one of the major constraints facing the commission in its preparations for the 2027 elections.

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“The problem is time,” Haruna said.

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He explained that preparations for the 2027 elections were taking place under a tighter timeframe following the amendment of the electoral law, which reduced the period available for election preparations.

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“Last time, we got the money for the election in sufficient time, so we had sufficient time to plan. It is a little bit tighter this time around. You know very well the electoral law cut it down by six months. Instead of one year, now it’s six months,” he said.

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Haruna said the commission had already received part of the funds required for the elections and was working on the process of selecting the printers that would handle the various contracts.

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The commissioner, however, dismissed concerns about the ability of local printers to securely produce election materials, maintaining that the companies being considered by the commission had adequate security arrangements.

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“The last general election was a precedent. Did you hear any complaints? We didn’t have any issue with the printers,” he added.

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Haruna said the printers had sufficient security measures to protect the sensitive election materials entrusted to them, adding that some private printing companies had facilities that could compare favourably with, or even exceed, those of government-owned security printing establishments.

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Campaigns won’t disrupt N’Assembly duties – Akpabio

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Meanwhile, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has assured Nigerians that political campaigns will not disrupt National Assembly’s legislative duties.

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Akpabio said lawmakers would continue to carry out their constitutional responsibilities despite the political activities and consultations ahead of the next general elections.

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The Senate President spoke with journalists at the Presidential Wing of the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, according to a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom.

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Akpabio maintained that National Assembly members had the capacity to balance their political activities with the mandate for which they were elected, adding that electioneering and legislative responsibilities were distinct.

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He said, “We are elected for four years, and we are going to work for four years. Anybody who is walking on the tiny rope must be able to do the balancing act. We are politicians, and campaigns will start very soon. Campaigns can be fixed in the afternoons or evenings while we do our work in the mornings.

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“It is not a problem at all. It is not everybody that will go for campaign at the same time because we belong to different political parties. Nothing will affect legislation. We will continue to make laws to take care of the needs of the people. It has never affected the work of the parliament.”

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Additional reports by Godwin Isenyo, Patrick Odey, Chika Otuchikere, Efecha Gold

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