Photo: Aminu Gwarzo
By Mandy Park
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has omitted the name of the Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, from its final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election.
Gwarzo, who was reportedly declared the party’s governorship candidate in May 2026 following consultations within the party, was conspicuously absent from the list released by the electoral commission on Saturday.
The omission raises questions about the NDC’s participation in the Kano governorship race, particularly as candidates of several other political parties were included in the final list.
The development comes amid legal disputes over political party membership registers and compliance with statutory requirements governing party primaries, congresses and conventions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The latest list was released following a Supreme Court judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, concerning party membership and compliance with the relevant legal requirements.
However, the precise connection between the judgment and Gwarzo’s omission was not immediately clear.
The INEC list contains 17 governorship candidates from various political parties, including the All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party and African Democratic Congress.
Among those listed are Gashash Mukhtar of Party A; Haruna Abdullahi of the Action Alliance; Sharif Abba of the African Action Congress; Ibrahim Ali Amin of the African Democratic Congress; and Muhammad Abdullahi of the Action Democratic Party.
Others are Bari Mustapha Bello of the Democratic Leadership Alliance; Santuraki Hamisu of the Labour Party; Abdullahi Mustapha of the National Democratic Party; Abacha Muhammed Sani of the Peoples Democratic Party; Koguna Nasiru Hassan of the People’s Redemption Party; Hussaini Bello Ado of the Social Democratic Party; and Nuhu Isa of the Zenith Labour Party.
Gwarzo’s absence from the list could pose a challenge to the NDC’s governorship ambition in Kano, depending on the circumstances surrounding the omission and whether any legal or administrative steps remain available to the party.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official explanation from INEC on why Gwarzo’s name was missing from the list. It was also unclear whether the NDC had formally challenged the omission or initiated steps to resolve the matter.
The 2027 governorship election in Kano is expected to attract significant political interest, given the state’s strategic importance in Nigeria’s electoral landscape.
