The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to unveil the candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections as political parties enter the final stretch of the nomination process.
INEC will on Saturday, August 29, display the lists of candidates submitted by the 22 registered political parties, giving candidates, parties and the public an opportunity to scrutinise and verify the details ahead of the polls.
Governorship elections will hold in 28 states, while State Houses of Assembly elections will take place across the 36 states of the federation.
The governorship contests will cover Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Kwara, Benue, Plateau, Niger, Nasarawa, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto.
Eight states—Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Edo, Bayelsa, Anambra, Imo and Kogi—will be excluded from the governorship ballot because of Nigeria’s staggered electoral cycle.
The August 29 deadline is also significant for parties fielding candidates for the presidency and National Assembly, with INEC expecting their final lists on the same date.
The development follows the August 22 deadline for candidate withdrawals. Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2026 requires any candidate seeking to withdraw to personally submit a signed notice, accompanied by an affidavit, to the political party that nominated the candidate.
INEC is scheduled to publish the final lists of presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives candidates on September 12.
With the deadline now days away, parties are under pressure to resolve outstanding nominations and substitutions, setting the stage for the next phase of the 2027 electoral contest.
