Kano NDC guber candidate’s name missing in INEC’s final list of contenders
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has excluded Aminu Gwarzo, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, from its final list of governorship candidates.
NEC did not publicly state the specific reason for dropping Gwarzo, but the decision is believed to be connected to a Supreme Court ruling in the case of INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, which confirmed the continued validity of Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026.
The judgment reinforced a requirement that political parties must submit their membership registers to INEC no later than 21 days before any primary, congress, or convention is held.
Under this rule, only individuals whose names appear in that duly submitted register can vote or be voted for during such internal party processes.
Where a party fails to meet this condition, or where a candidate’s name does not appear in the submitted register, that candidate’s participation in the primary becomes legally questionable, and INEC may act on that basis when compiling its final list.
Gwarzo’s removal from the final list means he cannot contest the governorship election in Kano State on the NDC platform.
