Political parties contesting the 2027 governorship elections have less than two weeks to settle internal disputes and make any final changes to their candidates, with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, setting September 19 as the deadline for withdrawal and replacement.

The window is particularly significant in the 28 states where governorship elections will hold next year, as parties continue to deal with disagreements over who should fly their flags. The All Progressives Congress, African Democratic Congress and Nigeria Democratic Congress are among the parties that have submitted governorship candidates, alongside several smaller political parties.

Questions have also emerged over claims that the ADC and NDC failed to field candidates in several states. Both parties have rejected those claims, insisting that they have candidates in the affected states. The conflicting information highlights why the current lists published by INEC should not yet be treated as the final line-up for the elections.

According to an official familiar with the process, political parties can still withdraw candidates and submit replacements before the September 19 deadline. The official explained that INEC will only publish the final list after all statutory nomination and substitution procedures have been completed.

The September 19 deadline is based on Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2026, which allows a candidate to withdraw not later than 90 days before the election. Parties are also expected to submit their nomination forms to INEC by September 26, in line with Section 30 of the law and the commission’s revised timetable.

INEC has already made the submitted names of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates available for inspection at its offices across the country. But reports that some submitted candidates are yet to appear on displayed lists in places such as Zamfara and Sokoto further underline the fact that the electoral field is still subject to the completion of the nomination process.

For voters, the implication is that the political choices taking shape now may not be the final ones. With the September deadlines approaching, parties must resolve outstanding candidature issues, while INEC is expected to consolidate the changes before releasing the definitive list for the 2027 governorship and State House of Assembly elections.