BREAKING: INEC Omits Kano NDC Governorship Candidate’s Name from Final List [FULL LIST]
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of candidates for the 2027 Kano State governorship election, with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) missing from the list of 17 candidates cleared to contest the poll.
The list, released on Saturday, October 10, 2026, includes candidates from several political parties, among them Yusuf Abba Kabir of the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, who had earlier emerged as the NDC’s governorship candidate, does not appear on the published roster.
Gwarzo, a former deputy governor of Kano State, was announced as the NDC’s flagbearer in May 2026 following political realignments involving the Kwankwasiyya movement led by former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
In June, Gwarzo named Mustapha Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, son of the former governor, as his running mate for the 2027 election.
The omission marks a development for the NDC as political parties prepare for the February 2027 governorship election. Gwarzo and his running mate had been expected to represent the party in the contest against candidates from other political platforms.
Other parties represented on the final list include the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party, alongside candidates from other registered political parties. The APC’s Yusuf Abba Kabir is among those listed to contest the governorship seat.
INEC’s final candidate list follows the nomination and substitution processes through which political parties submit the names of their candidates and running mates for elections. The published document is the official reference for the candidates listed to contest the Kano governorship election.
The commission has not been cited as giving a specific public explanation for Gwarzo’s absence from the list. It would therefore be premature to attribute the omission to a particular legal dispute, nomination problem or administrative decision without further clarification from INEC or the NDC.
Under Section 32 of the Electoral Act 2026, a political party that discovers its candidate’s name is missing from the published list has a prescribed process for notifying INEC.
The NDC’s next steps and any response from the commission will be important in determining whether the party’s omission is addressed before the election.
