2027: Pantami, Nami, Adamu know fate today
By Andrew Agbese, Abuja; Abubakar Abdullahi, Lafia; Nda Alhaji Minna & Haruna Gimba, Gombe
Barring any last minute change, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will today, announce its decision concerning candidates of political parties feared to be affected by last week’s judgement of the Supreme Court on party primaries.
The Supreme Court had on Thursday, affirmed the validity of sections 77 and 84 of the Electoral Act, 2026 (as amended) on eligibility to contest in primary elections based on appeals by the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, and the Social Democratic Party, SDP.
A reliable source at the INEC had informed Daily Trust that the commission is bound to come out with a position on the matter this week after obtaining a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement.
INEC chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, will today, address a world press conference where he is expected to state the level of preparedness of the commission towards the 2027 elections and clarify issues that are agitating the minds of people especially the fate of candidates in respect to the Supreme Court judgement.
Since the judgement, there have been contending views over its implication on candidates who crossed over to new parties after their attempts to secure the tickets of parties they were originally associated with failed.
Our correspondent reports that in Gombe, there are fears over the fate of Prof. Isa Ali Pantami due to the timing of his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A resident of Gombe metropolis, Babangida Hussaini said Pantami withdrew from the APC governorship primary on May 19, resigned from APC and joined PDP.
“And the PDP register was supposed to have closed on May 10 for submission to INEC, at the time Pantami was still vying for the governorship ticket under the APC,” he said.
However, a chieftain of the PDP, said the Supreme Court judgement only affirmed the constitutionality of the sections, “it did not make any factual finding that Pantami was not on the register.”
“Also, the Federal High Court judgement has nullified the earlier primary election conducted on May 26 and ordered for a fresh one, which was equally conducted on September 29.
“Therefore, at the time the new primary election was conducted, Pantami has spent about 156 days in the PDP, which made the supreme court judgement no binding on him,” the chieftain who spoke anonymously said.
In Niger, there were fresh concerns over the fate of Muhammad Nami who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Niger State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
A Minna based constitutional lawyer, Barrister Abdulmumin Jibril Abdullahi, told our correspondent that the judgement expose Nami’s PDP candidacy to legal scrutiny if evidence establishes that his name was not contained in the PDP membership register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within the period prescribed by law.
APC supporters allege that Nami was an APC senatorial aspirant in 2026 before his nomination as the PDP’s Niger governorship candidate on August 29, 2026, following the withdrawal by the PDP gubernatorial candidate.
Some analysts, including Nami’s supporters however are of the opinion that, the legal position is not conclusive because section 33 of the Electoral Act provides a framework for the replacement of candidates following withdrawal or death.
The judgement has equally generated mixed reactions over the candidacy of former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu in Nasarawa State.
The former IGP, substituted the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in Nasarawa State Adamu Angba after the latter withdrew from the race.
However, supporters of the ex-IGP Muhammad Muhammad and his campaign organization have countered the claim, arguing that the former police chief was not a party to the suit and that the court made no consequential order regarding his participation in the election.
They insist the process that brought the former Inspector General of Police as candidate was legit.
INEC’s official timetable provides for the publication of the final list of candidates for the Presidential and National Assembly elections not later than September 12, while the governorship and state Assembly final list is scheduled for October 10, 2026.
Section 77 of the 2026 Electoral Act states in part that each political party shall make its membership register available to INEC not later than 21 days before the date fixed for the party primaries, congresses or conventions and that only members whose names are contained in the register shall be eligible to vote and be voted for in party primaries, congresses and conventions.
It also states that a political party shall not use any other register for party primaries, congresses and conventions except the register submitted to the Commission. And that a party that fails to submit the membership register within the stipulated time shall not be eligible to field a candidate for that election.
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