“WE HAVE NO ISSUE WITH HIM”: INEC CLEARS GWARZO FOR KANO GOV, BLAMES COURT ORDER FOR OMISSION

The Independent National Electoral Commission has clarified that it has no objection to the candidacy of the Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, explaining that a court order is responsible for the omission of his name from the updated list of candidates for the 2027 elections.

The clarification was provided by a senior official of the commission on Saturday, following confusion over the updated list, ValidViewNetwork reports.

THE CLARIFICATION

A senior INEC official told Daily Trust that Gwarzo had been cleared to contest, but a Federal High Court in Kano issued an ex parte order on October 27 barring the commission from uploading the names of any NDC candidates.

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“I thought I told you he had been cleared, subject only to the final outcome of an ex parte order by a Federal High Court in Kano on October 27 that we should not download the name of any candidate for NDC. In other words, we have no issue with him,” the official said .

Checks on INEC’s updated list released on Saturday showed that the NDC governorship and deputy governorship slots for Kano were marked “Court Order” .

THE UPDATED LIST

The commission said it made the update after reviewing court judgments and party submissions.

While Gwarzo remains omitted, the commission approved the inclusion of Professor Isa Ali Pantami as the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate for Gombe State, following compliance with all legal requirements.

The commission noted that the case of the Kano NDC candidate remains under litigation and therefore cannot be included until the court order is vacated .

THE CONTEXT

The development followed complaints from candidates and political parties after INEC left some names out of the lists it published ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Pantami and Gwarzo were among the prominent governorship candidates whose names were missing from the list the commission released in October.

INEC had explained that the omissions were linked to alleged failure by some political parties to comply with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, requiring them to submit their membership registers.

The commission said its position was based on a September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgment that upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5) to (7) of the Electoral Act, which makes submitting party membership registers compulsory .

WHY IT MATTERS

For Gwarzo, the clarification is a mixed blessing. INEC has cleared him. But a court order prevents the commission from publishing his name.

Until the order is vacated, he remains in limbo.

For INEC, the case is a test of its ability to navigate the complex legal and political terrain surrounding the 2027 elections.

The commission has shown that it will comply with court orders, even when they produce outcomes that are confusing or unfair.

For the NDC, the battle is not over. The party must return to court to have the order vacated. Until then, its candidate cannot campaign as a duly nominated governorship candidate.

The court order stands. The clarification has been issued. And Gwarzo waits. ValidViewNetwork reports.