INEC Final List: PDP Missing in Ogun, Gombe as Questions Mount Over Adebutu’s 2027 Bid
The party’s reported absence from the two states’ governorship lists raises questions about its candidates and the next steps available to its leadership.
By Reloaded News Desk
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is missing from the final lists of governorship candidates for Ogun and Gombe states published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the February 6, 2027 elections.
The development raises questions about the status of the party’s governorship bids in both states, including that of former Ogun governorship candidate Ladi Adebutu, whose name is absent from the circulating final Ogun list.
Why does the PDP have no candidate listed for the Ogun governorship election? What accounts for the party’s absence from the Gombe list? And what steps, if any, will its leadership take to address the situation?
In Ogun State, Adebutu’s absence comes amid an earlier dispute over his name on the PDP membership register submitted to INEC.
Reports published earlier in October alleged that Adebutu’s name was missing from the register examined by reporters. The Ogun PDP rejected claims questioning his eligibility, insisting that he was a registered member and that his nomination remained valid.
The final candidates’ list has now raised a separate and more immediate question: why does Adebutu not appear among the candidates listed for the Ogun governorship election?
The earlier membership-register dispute may be relevant to understanding the background, but no verified evidence currently establishes that it caused his absence from the final list. INEC’s explanation is needed to clarify the circumstances.
The situation in Gombe also requires clarification. Is the PDP’s absence from the state’s final list the result of a nomination issue, a dispute within the party, or another development? Those possibilities cannot be established from the list alone.
The implications extend beyond the names missing from the document. The PDP will need to clarify whether it submitted candidates whose names were omitted, whether it has received any formal communication from INEC, and whether it intends to invoke the procedures available under the Electoral Act.
Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 provides a process through which a registered political party can notify INEC in writing if it discovers that a nominated candidate’s name is missing from the published list. The notice must meet the statutory requirements, including signatures from the party’s National Chairman and Secretary and supporting affidavit.
Whether the PDP has initiated that process in Ogun or Gombe has not been independently established.
The absence of a candidate’s name from the published list does not, by itself, explain why the name is missing or establish that a formal disqualification decision has been made. Any conclusion about the affected candidates’ status must be based on official clarification and the applicable electoral procedures.
INEC and the PDP leadership now face questions about the circumstances surrounding the omissions and the status of the party’s governorship contests in the two states.
For Ogun, the immediate question remains: what happened to Ladi Adebutu’s 2027 governorship bid? For Gombe, the question is why the PDP has no candidate appearing on the final list. Answers from the commission and the party are needed to establish the facts.
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