Political parties that believe their governorship candidates were wrongly left off the final list for the 2027 elections have until October 24, 2026, to notify the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The commission fixed the deadline in a statement on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. It was signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee .
The deadline follows a Supreme Court ruling delivered on September 24, 2026, in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026.
The apex court upheld Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026. The provisions make the submission of party membership registers mandatory before primaries can be valid .
The court also upheld INEC’s timetable requiring parties to submit their registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026 .
Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, parties have 14 days from the date of publication to file complaints .
Supreme Court Ruling Reshapes the Candidate List
INEC said it applied the judgment when finalising the governorship candidates’ list. Parties that failed to comply with the register requirements were excluded.
The commission relied on Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. The section requires compliance with Supreme Court decisions .
However, INEC noted that the final lists of presidential and National Assembly candidates had already been published on September 12, 2026.
That was 13 days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment. The commission said the deadline applies only to the governorship list.
Lagos Introduces QR Codes for PVC Collection
Meanwhile, INEC in Lagos State has introduced QR codes to help voters find Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection centres.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Ayobami Salami, announced the measure on Tuesday .
Voters can scan the codes through INEC’s official website and social media platforms .
Salami said PVCs are ready for those who registered between August 25 and December 10, 2025.
Cards for people who registered between January 5 and July 26, 2026, are not yet available.
He asked voters to collect their cards promptly and keep them safe.
Anambra REC Says Real-Time Transmission Not Yet Fully in Place
In Anambra State, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Queen Elizabeth Agwu, spoke on expectations for real-time result transmission.
She said the commission has not fully migrated to a virtual voting system .
Agwu spoke at a stakeholders’ meeting in Awka on Friday.
She said INEC is ready for a credible exercise and has trained most of its staff.
The commission has procured more BVAS machines and completed an infrastructure audit across states .
She also said the display of the Voters’ Register has started.
Agwu asked voters to check their details and raise claims or objections .
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