The Independent National Electoral Commission is set to publish on Saturday, August 29, the list of candidates nominated by political parties for the February 6, 2027, governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.
Governorship elections will be held in 28 states, while elections into the state Houses of Assembly will take place across all 36 states of the federation.
According to the electoral timetable, governorship elections are scheduled for Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Kwara, Benue, Plateau, Niger and Nasarawa states.
The other states are Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto.
However, governorship elections will not hold in Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Edo, Bayelsa, Anambra, Imo and Kogi states, where off-cycle polls were conducted at different times under Nigeria’s staggered electoral cycle.
INEC said the publication of the candidates’ lists forms part of its preparations for the 2027 general election and will allow political parties, candidates and members of the public to verify the information submitted to the commission.
The 22 registered political parties are expected to present new candidates in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kwara and Nasarawa, where the tenure of incumbent governors will expire in 2027.
Political parties contesting the presidential and National Assembly elections are also expected to submit their final lists of candidates by Saturday, August 29.
The deadline follows the August 22 cut-off for candidates seeking to withdraw from the 2027 elections.
Under Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2026, a candidate seeking to withdraw from an election must personally submit a written notice, signed by the candidate and accompanied by an affidavit, to the political party that nominated them.
The provision establishes a formal process for candidates who decide to withdraw after securing their party’s nomination.
INEC is expected to publish the final list of presidential and National Assembly candidates on Saturday, September 12. The list will include candidates for the presidential election, Senate and House of Representatives.
With the August 29 deadline approaching, political parties are expected to conclude their candidate nomination and substitution processes ahead of INEC’s publication of the final lists.
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