By Joyce Ekeh
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has omitted the governorship candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) from its final list of eight candidates for the 2027 Cross River State governorship election, with the NDC candidate attributing the development to a bureaucratic error.
The final list, signed by INEC Secretary, Mrs Rose Oriaran-Anthony, did not include the candidates of the two political parties, raising questions about their status in the forthcoming election.
However, the NDC governorship candidate, John Upan Odey on Sunday said that the omission was an administrative error and not a deliberate exclusion.
“The omission is a bureaucratic error by INEC, not peculiar to Cross River. Kano and six other states were also affected,” Odey said.
He added that stakeholders would engage the electoral commission on Monday to resolve the matter.
“By Monday, INEC and stakeholders will engage to sort out the matter,” he said.
The ADC governorship candidate, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, also said that she would examine the published list and respond.
The commission’s document, titled “Final List of Candidates” contains the names of eight governorship candidates and their running mates. It also provides details of their ages, gender, educational qualifications and disability status.
Among those listed is Governor Bassey Edet Otu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with Hon. Peter Odey Agba as his running mate.
The list also features candidates of the Action Alliance (AA), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Peoples Party (APP), Labour Party (LP), National Rescue Movement (NRM) and Action Democratic Party (ADP), alongside Sir Arthur Jarvis Archibong of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with Alphonsus Eba Ogar as his deputy.
The candidates’ listed educational qualifications range from the First School Leaving Certificate to university degrees, including Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Laws.
INEC did not state why the ADC and NDC candidates were missing from the published document.
It was also unclear whether the parties had submitted their nominations in accordance with the commission’s requirements or whether any dispute had affected their inclusion.
The omission could trigger further questions about the nomination process and the status of the two parties’ candidates ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
In previous electoral disputes, political parties excluded from INEC’s final lists have approached the courts to seek redress. It remains unclear whether the ADC and NDC will pursue legal action if the matter is not resolved administratively.
As of the time of filing this report, INEC had not publicly explained the omission, while the NDC said it expected engagement with the commission and other stakeholders to address the issue.
