WorldStage— The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released its final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, featuring former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar Adamu as the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in Nasarawa State and Kingsley Ogundu (OK) Chinda as the All Progressives Congress (APC) flagbearer in Rivers State, while omitting Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo in Kano State.
The release of the documents has stirred mixed reactions across the country as political parties evaluate the impacts of the electoral calendar and recent legal clarifications.
In Nasarawa State, former police chief Mohammed Abubakar Adamu was as the SDP governorship candidate.
Adamu, who joined the party after participating in the APC primary, won a replacement primary election in Lafia with 28,637 votes.
He is paired with Ada’a Lawrence Dari as his running mate.
His campaign organization, through High Chief Otaru Douglas, confirmed that the former IGP is set for the 2027 ballot, moving past earlier controversies regarding candidate substitutions and Supreme Court interpretations of party registers.
In Rivers State, INEC published a 19-man roster featuring Honourable Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, widely known as OK Chinda, as the governorship candidate for the APC.
Chinda secured the ticket during the party primary held on May 21, 2026, pulling 268,497 votes.
His inclusion on the shortlist places him at position number five among contenders like Gabriel Pidomson of the ADC and Dumo Lulu-Briggs of the NDC, even as legal reviews surrounding party switches continue to trail high-profile candidates.
But Kano State’s political space experienced turbulence following the exclusion of Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, the governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). Gwarzo and his running mate, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, were missing from the official three-page document published on the portal.
While the state NDC Public Relations Officer, Yusif Fasaha, urged party faithful to remain calm and attributed the gap to a minor computer or administrative glitch, INEC’s current 17-party lineup in Kano features the APC’s Abba Kabir Yusuf and the PDP’s Abacha Muhammed Sani, leaving Gwarzo’s camp awaiting potential administrative remedies.
