The national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Mohammed Jugundo, has expressed confidence that the party will overcome the omission of its governorship candidates, Oladipupo Olatunde Adebutu in Ogun State and Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami in Gombe State, from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
Recall that Pantami, a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP in May 2026 and subsequently emerged as the party’s governorship candidate in Gombe State for the 2027 elections. Adebutu, on the other hand, secured the PDP’s governorship ticket for Ogun State after winning the party’s consensus primary in Abeokuta, monitored by INEC officials.
However, INEC omitted both candidates and Adebutu’s running mate from the final list published on October 10, 2026.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Monday, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed said the PDP would overcome the omission of its governorship candidates, Adebutu of Ogun State and Professor Pantami of Gombe State, from INEC’s final list for the 2027 general elections.
“Absolutely. The PDP will be able to surmount this. The PDP has surmounted so many obstacles if you look at the history of the party, and this one too shall come to pass.
“We were shocked, indeed, by realizing that two notable and formidable candidates of the party—who clearly, in their signs, have high possibility and tendency to win the 2027 governorship elections in their respective states—came to realize that their names have been omitted after duly complying with all electoral laws, electoral guidelines, and INEC regulations. That is Professor Pantami and Mr. Adebutu.
“What will interest you is that INEC published the particulars of these candidates. So one would begin to wonder: at what point or what could have been the problem now that these names were omitted? Is it human error? Are there political undertones to it?
“Well, the party has started engaging with INEC. It is our hope that today, Monday, INEC will be able to tell us in clear terms what the real issues are. The list may be seen as final, but it is not and cannot be final. So we hope to see what happens as things continue to unfold.”
Jungudo said he could not recall the exact date Pantami defected from the APC to the PDP but maintained that the former minister’s eligibility to contest the Gombe governorship election had been settled by a Federal High Court in the state, which affirmed his PDP membership and ordered INEC to recognise his candidacy.
“At the moment, I may not be able to tentatively tell you the exact date. But the question of his eligibility to contest is an issue that the court has settled because it was challenged before a Federal High Court in Gombe. The court duly and rightly found that Professor Shehu Pantami is eligible to contest and is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, and therefore ordered INEC.”
He argued that Pantami’s omission might not be connected to the party membership register deadline, alleging that several candidates who defected from other parties and failed to meet the same requirement were still included on INEC’s final list. Jungudo added that the omission had nothing to do with the Supreme Court’s decision, urging the commission to clarify the reasons behind its action.
“I do not want to believe that his omission has to do with assuming that his name is not on the register, assuming, though not conceding. I do not want to believe the omission has to do with this because I don’t want to go into calling names. There are people, there are candidates on the final list which we have seen that have defected from one political party to another and have not met that requirement, but are still on the list.
“So that is to tell you that the omission has nothing to do with the Supreme Court decision. When you go through the list from National Assembly to the governorship level, you will see them—they are plenty there on the list. So it has nothing to do with the Supreme Court decision.”
Moving on to the steps the PDP can take to secure the reinstatement of the omitted candidates, Jungudo said the party was engaging INEC in an amicable discussion to establish the reasons for the omissions.
He warned that the PDP would consider seeking legal redress if the engagement failed to yield a resolution, insisting that the party had complied with all requirements and that INEC monitored the court-ordered rerun of the primaries.
“Yes, you know PDP as a law-abiding political party. We have decided to engage INEC in an amicable discussion with a view to finding the exact reasons and issues. Though INEC is not forthcoming with the reasons so far, we believe that in the course of the day—being Monday today—we will be able to have the right authorities to speak with our own representatives.
“If at the end of the day there is nothing that is going to come out of it, then certainly the party will have no option than to consider seeking legal redress, because the party has fully complied with all that is required. The court ordered for a rerun of the primaries, and it was done, and INEC monitored that primaries.”
Urging supporters of PDP to remain calm and hopeful, Jungudo assured them that the party was taking the matter seriously and would pursue all lawful means to have the omitted candidates’ names restored.
He also expressed confidence in INEC’s neutrality, urging the commission to ensure that all qualified candidates are included on the ballot ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“If you look at the energy and how quick we are able to respond to this unfortunate development, it is something that I can tell our supporters and Nigerians that indeed the party is taking this matter with the seriousness it deserves. Our supporters should remain calm and hopeful that we will do everything within the ambit of the law and do everything within our own powers to see that these names are restored.
“Let us remain hopeful; we believe that INEC—that has so far laid a solid foundation for a smooth conduct of the 2027 elections—will continue to uphold that neutrality by making sure that whoever is genuinely deserving to be on the ballot is not omitted or deliberately omitted for whatever reason. Our supporters should remain calm; the party is doing everything in the fullness of time and short of the national electoral commission.”
Jungudo maintained that the PDP would not react to speculation before obtaining an official explanation from INEC, reiterating the party’s confidence in the commission’s impartiality and ability to conduct credible elections. However, he warned that the party would respond if the reasons given for the candidates’ omission were found to be unconvincing.
“You do not expect the new PDP as we are today to begin to react to speculations. Like I said, we have not been able to get the appropriate authorities to speak to us as to what the real issues are, and it will not be good for us to begin to do anything that will undermine the electoral processes. We actually need—we believe in the impartiality, credibility, and readiness of INEC to conduct a smooth and credible 2027 election.
“That is not to say where there are issues, we will not come out to say it. As it is, we have not been able to have the exact issues, but when we get there and the issues canvassed by INEC is not convincing to us, then perhaps you will see us react in that manner.”
Acknowledging that the political future of the affected candidates was at stake, Jungudo said the PDP had issued a statement to calm supporters while pursuing a resolution within the ambit of the law. He expressed confidence that the matter could be resolved without heightening political tensions but warned that the party would consider its next steps if INEC failed to provide convincing explanations for the omissions.
“Certainly, certainly they are. It is at stake, and that was why we issued a statement yesterday to calm our supporters. You do not expect us as leaders to begin to behave as a wounded lion. We need to take things within the ambit of the law.
“We believe these issues can be resolved without necessarily eating up the polity, and that is what the PDP of today is all about: going, doing things within the ambit and corridors of the law.
“Until that moment when we are not satisfied, until that moment when INEC is not coming up with convincing reasons—there are possibilities of human errors, and if there are political undertones, we will still get there, and when we get there, we will know how to cross the bridge.”
Addressing Adebutu’s allegation that the ruling party was putting INEC under undue pressure, Jugundo said the Ogun PDP governorship candidate’s reaction was understandable given his knowledge of the state’s political intrigues.
Nevertheless, he maintained that the party’s leadership would engage the electoral commission to establish the facts, stressing that its leaders should resolve issues rather than act on speculation or complicate matters.
“It is understandable if our governorship candidate from Ogun State reacted in that manner. Perhaps someone who is residing and knowing more about the politics and intrigues within the state, it is understandable for him to react in that manner.
“What is most important for us as the leaders of the political party, as the National Working Committee, is to engage with the relevant and responsible authority, which is INEC, with a view to getting to the root of this matter. We will not want to act based on speculation. We are leaders; we are meant to guide, we are meant to lead, and we are meant to resolve issues. We are not meant to complicate issues.”
Speaking on the alleged rift between APC governors and the rainbow coalition, Janguza acknowledged that tensions had emerged over the coalition’s activities but said both sides appeared to have reached a level of understanding. He described the coalition as a platform the FCT Minister intended to use to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu.
“The discomfort from amongst the APC governors’ forum vis-à-vis the existence or activities of the rainbow coalition is something that has come to the public domain. But I think over time, these issues have been carefully—let me not say resolved, but there’s a kind of understanding.
“The essence of the rainbow coalition, which the PDP is yet to key into, is just a platform the FCT Minister intends to use to canvas support for his principal, that is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
However, Jungudo said the PDP could consider alliances with other parties, noting that such arrangements were neither politically nor constitutionally wrong. He maintained that the party remained focused on protecting its interests and securing victory for its candidates at all levels, from the presidency to the state Houses of Assembly.
“Should the PDP choose to key into the rainbow coalition, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. After all, if you look at other opposition political parties, they have been having discussions with an aim of coming together to support a single candidate. So it is not out of place if the PDP, as the leading opposition political party today, chooses to also look at where to align in order to protect and project its own interest.
“There is nothing absolutely politically wrong and even constitutionally wrong for the PDP to also consider going into an alliance with any political party.
“But for now, the PDP is strictly only interested in projecting and protecting the interest and victory of its own candidates from the presidential down to the houses of assembly, and we are determined to do that.”
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