Nigeria’s electoral commission is set to make public the names of candidates cleared to contest the 2027 governorship and State House of Assembly elections on Saturday, August 29, giving voters a clearer picture of the political line-up ahead of the February 6 polls.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to publish governorship candidates for 28 states, while the names of contenders for legislative seats will be released for all 36 states. The publication forms part of the commission’s timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The governorship race will be held in states including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Kwara, Benue, Plateau, Niger and Nasarawa. Other states on the list are Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto.
The eight states excluded from the governorship exercise are Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Edo, Bayelsa, Anambra, Imo and Kogi. Their governorship elections fall outside the 2027 cycle because Nigeria conducts gubernatorial polls according to a staggered electoral schedule.
August 29 will also be significant for parties fielding candidates for the presidency and National Assembly. They are expected to submit their final candidate lists to INEC on the same date, following the August 22 deadline for candidates wishing to withdraw from the contest.
Under Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2026, a candidate who wants to withdraw must give written notice, supported by an affidavit, directly to the political party that nominated them. The party is then required to transmit the relevant documents to INEC.
The commission’s schedule provides for another major publication on September 12, when the final lists for the presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives contests are expected to be released.
With the first major batch of candidate information due on August 29, political parties, candidates and voters will have a clearer view of the state-level contests as the 2027 electoral process advances.
