Kano Election 2027: INEC Explains Why Gwarzo’s Name is Still Missing on Updated Governorship List

• INEC confirmed it cleared NDC governorship candidate Abdulsalam Gwarzo but could not publish his name due to an active court order
• A Federal High Court in Kano issued an ex parte order on October 27 barring INEC from publishing any NDC candidate's name
• Gwarzo and his running mate Rabiu Mustapha remained absent from INEC's updated list of 2027 governorship candidates released on Saturday

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.

Kano, Kano State - The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said a Federal High Court order, not any decision by the commission, is responsible for the continued absence of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, from its updated list of candidates for the 2027 general elections.

On Sunday, November 1, 2026, Daily Trust quoted a senior INEC official as saying that Gwarzo had been cleared by the commission. However, his name could not be included in the published list pending the resolution of an ex parte order issued by a Kano court on October 27.

"I thought I told you he had been cleared, subject only to the final outcome of an ex parte order by a Federal High Court in Kano on October 27 that we should not download the name of any candidate for NDC. In other words, we have no issue with him," the official said.

The clarification came after checks on Saturday showed that both Gwarzo and his running mate, Rabiu Mustapha, were still missing from INEC's revised governorship candidate list. The commission had marked the NDC's governorship and deputy governorship slots in Kano with the notation "Court Order."

Gwarzo: What led to confusion

The questions around Gwarzo's candidacy followed INEC's review of petitions over omissions in its initial candidate list, which was published on October 10. After Thursday's review, the commission upheld 66 petitions and dismissed 64 others relating to governorship and State House of Assembly candidates across Nigeria.

One outcome of that review was the inclusion of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Gombe State, after INEC upheld the petition relating to his name.

Gwarzo's case differs from those resolved through the petition process. INEC's position is that his name was not left out because of any unresolved eligibility issue, but because the court order prevents the commission from publishing the names of NDC candidates in the state.

Gwarzo: Court order the deciding factor

The commission's explanation makes clear that the legal restriction will remain in place until the Federal High Court in Kano gives a final ruling on the matter.

Until that happens, the NDC's Kano candidates are unlikely to appear on any official INEC list, regardless of their cleared status with the commission.

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Sowore demands N500k salary for INEC workers

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Omoyele Sowore urged the federal government to raise the minimum wage of INEC workers to N500,000, warning that low pay undermines the credibility of Nigerian polls.

The presidential hopeful made the call on his verified X account, arguing that workers entrusted with administering elections cannot be expected to protect the process while receiving inadequate compensation.

He was reacting to INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan's statement that the commission's staff are among the lowest-paid workers in the country.