The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, the New Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, from its final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election.
Gwarzo's name was missing from the commission's published list, which contains 17 candidates from various political parties. Gwarzo had been one of the most prominent opposition governorship candidates in Kano State.
Who Made the Final List?
INEC's Kano State governorship candidate list includes Yusuf Abba Kabir of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abacha Muhammed Sani of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ibrahim Ali Amin of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), among others.
The full list is as follows:
S/N Candidate Name Party
1 Gashash Mukhtar A
2 Haruna Abdullahi AA
3 Sharif Abba AAC
4 Ibrahim Ali Amin ADC
5 Muhammad Abdullahi ADP
6 Yusuf Abba Kabir APC
7 Tijjani Sukairaju Tijjani APGA
8 Muhammad Bashir Galadanchi APM
9 Tukur Aliyu Malam APP
10 Ahmad Furera BP
11 Bari Mustapha Bello DLA
12 Santuraki Hamisu LP
13 Abdullahi Mustapha NDP
14 Abacha Muhammed Sani PDP
15 Koguna Nasiru Hassan PRP
16 Hussaini Bello Ado SDP
17 Nuhu Isa ZLP
Notably, Ahmad Furera of the Boot Party (BP) is the only female candidate on the list, aged 45.
Reason for Exclusion: Possibly Linked to Supreme Court Ruling
INEC did not publicly state the specific reason for removing Gwarzo. However, multiple reports suggest the decision may be linked to the Supreme Court's ruling in the case of "INEC v. Zenith Labour Party," which affirmed the continued validity of Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026.
That provision requires political parties to submit their membership register to INEC at least 21 days before holding primaries, congresses, or conventions. Only persons whose names appear in the submitted register are eligible to vote or be voted for in those internal party processes. If a party fails to meet this condition, or if a candidate's name is not in the submitted register, their primary participation is legally problematic, and INEC may act on this when compiling the final list.
Political Context: Gwarzo and the Kwankwaso Camp
Gwarzo is a former Deputy Governor of Kano State and secured the NDC governorship ticket in May 2026 after leaving the ruling party. In June 2026, he selected Mustapha Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso — son of former Kano State Governor and NDC vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso — as his running mate.
The political pairing was widely seen as the Kwankwaso camp's core strategy to reclaim control of Kano State in the 2027 elections. After Kwankwaso's public fallout with incumbent Governor Abba Yusuf in 2025, the latter defected to the APC, while Kwankwaso joined the NDC and became its vice-presidential candidate.
Gwarzo's removal from the final list represents a major blow to the NDC's governorship campaign in Kano State. It remains unclear whether the NDC will challenge the candidate's absence before INEC or seek redress under the procedure set out in Section 32 of the Electoral Act 2026.
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