PDP says INEC's list "cannot be final". The Electoral Act gives it until 24 October to file a sworn notice; Ogun's final list has 13 tickets, none PDP

On Monday 12 October the Peoples Democratic Party's National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, said on Arise Television that the party would overcome the omission of two of its governorship candidates from INEC's final lists, Ladi Adebutu in Ogun and Isa Ali Pantami in Gombe. "The list may be seen as final, but it is not and cannot be final," he said. Vero Record set that sentence against INEC's final list of Ogun governorship candidates, as the commission publishes it, and against the Electoral Act 2026. The Act does give a party a route back onto the list. It runs for 14 days from publication, it needs a notice signed by the party's National Chairman and Secretary with an affidavit, and counted from INEC's publication date it closes on Saturday 24 October, tomorrow.

INEC's Ogun list is a three-page PDF headed "Governorship Election 2027 - Governorship, Final List of Candidates", signed for the commission's Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony. The file records its creation on 10 October 2026 at 13:55 UTC. It carries 13 numbered tickets: A, AA, ADC, ADP, APC, APM, APP, BP, NDP, NNPP, NRM, SDP and YPP. The parties run in alphabetical order. Row 10 is the NNPP, row 11 the NRM and row 12 the SDP; there is no PDP row anywhere on the three pages. The governorship election in Ogun is on 6 February 2027.

The same check on INEC's Gombe list, created the same afternoon, finds 16 tickets and again no PDP row. Vero Record has reported on the Gombe dispute before; this report concerns Ogun.

The record supports the PDP on one point. Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires INEC to publish "a statement of the full names and addresses of all candidates standing nominated" at least 60 days before the election. Section 32(2) then provides that "a registered political party that observes that the name of its candidate is missing on the list published in accordance with subsection (1) shall notify the Commission in writing, signed by its National Chairman and Secretary, supported with an affidavit within 14 days after the publication." A final list can therefore be challenged by the party itself, in that form, within that window.

The window is short. Fourteen days from Saturday 10 October is Saturday 24 October. Jungudo spoke on day two. Neither he nor the party's Ogun Publicity Secretary, Kayode Adebayo, said in the statements reported so far that a section 32(2) notice had been signed, sworn or delivered. The PDP's national statement, as ThisDay reported it, said the party was "engaging" INEC on the omissions.

Section 32 does not say what INEC must do when such a notice arrives. It does not oblige the commission to republish its list, and section 32(3) adds that a party's failure to notify "shall not be a ground to invalidate the election". The statute gives the party a duty to speak within 14 days, not a guarantee that the name returns.

Another route is closed. Section 33 bars a party from changing or substituting a candidate "except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate", and INEC's signed timetable for the 2027 election, dated 26 February 2026, set 19 September 2026 as the last day for withdrawal and replacement of governorship candidates. That date had passed 21 days before the final list appeared.

The list states no reason for Adebutu's absence. Its Remarks column is blank on every Ogun ticket except the ADC's, which is marked "COURT ORDER". Reports have linked the omissions to section 77 of the Act, which a Supreme Court panel was reported in September to have restored. Section 77(4) requires each party to give INEC its membership register "not later than 21 days before the date fixed for the party primaries"; section 77(5) says only members on that register may "vote and be voted for"; section 77(7) says a party that misses the deadline "shall not be eligible to field a candidate for that election".

The Ogun PDP denies any such defect. Kayode Adebayo said in a statement reported by Blueprint and Legit that Adebutu took part in the party's digital membership registration and that his card was "printed, verified and submitted to INEC within the prescribed timeframe". Adebutu said he has never left the PDP. A second claimant has also appeared: Olusegun Peter Topa, through his lawyer, wrote to INEC on 14 October demanding to be published as the PDP candidate and citing entry 15783 on the party register, according to Arise News. Vero Record has seen neither the register nor the letter.

On the documents, Jungudo is right that the Act leaves the list open to one kind of challenge, and wrong if he means it stays open. Under section 32(2) the party's own route closes after Saturday 24 October unless its National Chairman and Secretary have filed a sworn notice by then; after that, the Act leaves only the courts. The PDP's Gombe ticket faces the same calendar.

We invite a response from the PDP, through Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, on whether the section 32(2) notice for Ogun has been filed and on what date, and from INEC on whether it has received one and why the PDP's Ogun ticket is not on its list. We will publish any reply in full.

What this rests on

Grade A core: (1) INEC, Governorship Election 2027, Ogun Final List of Candidates, 3 pages, signed for Rose Oriaran-Anthony, PDF creation date 2026-10-10 13:55:41 UTC; 13 tickets counted row by row (4 on p.1, 6 on p.2, 3 on p.3: 4+6+3=13), no PDP row; Remarks blank except row 3 (ADC), marked 'COURT ORDER'. Gombe list: 16 tickets (4+6+6=16), no PDP row, created 2026-10-10 15:23:58 UTC. (2) Electoral Act 2026 as published by INEC: s.32(1)-(3) (pp.21-22), s.33 (p.22), s.77(4)-(7) (p.34). (3) INEC Revised Timetable, 26 February 2026, item 7 (governorship withdrawal and replacement closes 19 September 2026) and item 9 (governorship final list 10 October 2026). Arithmetic: 10 October + 14 days = 24 October (11 to 24 October inclusive = 14 days). 10 and 24 October 2026 are Saturdays; 12 October a Monday, day 2 after publication. 19 September to 10 October = 11 (20 to 30 Sep) + 10 = 21 days. 10 October 2026 to 6 February 2027 = 21 + 30 + 31 + 31 + 6 = 119 days, above the 60-day minimum in s.32(1); 6 February 2027 minus 60 days = 8 December 2026. Grade B: Jungudo's words from Arise News, 12 October; the PDP's 'engaging' statement from ThisDay; Kayode Adebayo and Adebutu from Blueprint and Legit; Topa's letter from Arise News, 17 October; the Supreme Court restoration of s.77 from press reports.

What this does not establish

Why INEC left the PDP's Ogun ticket off the list; the list gives no reason and INEC has not explained it publicly. Whether the PDP has filed a section 32(2) notice for Ogun or Gombe, and on what date. What INEC must do with such a notice; the Act is silent. Whether Adebutu's name is on the register the PDP gave INEC, and when that register was delivered; Vero Record has not seen it. The Supreme Court judgment restoring section 77 was not obtained. Whether Topa's claim has any standing. Whether the 14 days run from the PDF's creation or from display at INEC's offices; this report counts from 10 October, the date on INEC's timetable and file.