The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will on Saturday, August 29, make public the names of candidates nominated by political parties for the 2027 governorship and State House of Assembly elections.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the publication is part of the commission’s preparations for the February 6, 2027 polls and will allow political parties, candidates and members of the public to examine and verify the details submitted to INEC.

The commission is also expecting parties contesting the presidential and National Assembly elections to submit their final lists of candidates on the same day.

The development comes after the August 22 deadline for candidates who intended to withdraw from the 2027 elections.

Under Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2026, any candidate seeking to withdraw must personally submit a written notice to the political party that nominated them.

The notice must be signed by the candidate and accompanied by an affidavit, providing a formal procedure for withdrawals after the nomination process.

INEC is expected to publish the final list of presidential and National Assembly candidates on September 12. The publication will cover those contesting the presidential election as well as Senate and House of Representatives seats.

The commission had earlier taken steps to make information submitted by presidential candidates available for public scrutiny. In August, it displayed the personal particulars, academic credentials and other supporting documents of presidential candidates and their running mates at its offices across the country.

The exercise was conducted in line with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2026, which requires INEC to publish the personal particulars and supporting documents of candidates in the constituencies where they intend to contest.

The law states: “The Commission shall, within 21 days of the receipt of the personal particulars of the candidate, publish same in the constituency where the candidate intends to contest the election.”

Among the presidential candidates whose documents were displayed were President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress and Peter Obi of the Nigerian Democratic Congress.

In the FCT, the Commission displayed the candidates’ names at its headquarters in Abuja.

The exercise was also carried out simultaneously at the six Area Council offices across the FCT, allowing members of the public to examine the credentials and other personal details submitted by candidates.

The move is aimed at strengthening transparency in the electoral process and giving citizens the opportunity to raise concerns over the information provided by those seeking elective positions.

Political parties have also uploaded the names of candidates for the various positions on INEC’s online portal after completing their primaries in accordance with the commission’s timetable.

For the governorship election, 28 states will participate in the 2027 contest, while elections into the State Houses of Assembly will be conducted across all 36 states.

The states where governorship elections will be held are Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Kwara, Benue, Plateau, Niger, Nasarawa, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto.

Eight states will, however, be excluded from the 2027 governorship election because of Nigeria’s staggered electoral system. They are Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Edo, Bayelsa, Anambra, Imo and Kogi, where governorship elections were conducted at different times.

The 2027 governorship and State House of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6.

Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Gusau has promised to work closely with the new Euromatch NPFL partnership to make the league more attractive, generate fresh ideas and bring Nigerian football fans back to the stadiums.

Gusau spoke in Abuja at the unveiling of Euromatch as the new title sponsor of the Nigeria Premier Football League, with the three-year agreement worth $7.5 million, or $2.5 million per season.

READ ALSO: Breaking: NPFL Set to End 10-Year Title Sponsor Drought As New Partner Unveiled in Abuja

The NFF president said he had believed in the current board from the beginning and maintained that the progress now being recorded in the domestic league was the result of four years of consistency and stabilisation.

“I believed in the board from inception, stabilised them, and we can see the result now after four years,” Gusau said.

The NFF boss said the new partnership must not be allowed to remain a sponsorship agreement on paper, insisting that football authorities, clubs and the sponsor must work together to turn the investment into tangible improvements.

“I want to assure the people involved in this collaboration that we will work together and make it realistic,” he said.

Gusau also called for new ideas capable of changing the matchday experience and restoring the NPFL’s connection with supporters.

He believes the league must become more attractive to fans, particularly by creating fixtures and events that can generate excitement around the competition.

“Let’s initiate new ideas so that the fans can be back to the stadium,” Gusau said.

One of his proposals is the introduction of a weekly “star match”, with former Nigerian internationals also brought into the project to help reconnect supporters with the domestic game.

“Let’s have a star match every week and involve the ex-international players as well as having a way of bringing back fans to our stadia,” he added.

Gusau’s comments come as the NPFL enters a new commercial era following the signing of the Euromatch agreement, which will provide $2.5 million annually for three seasons.

Sixty per cent of the sponsorship proceeds is expected to go directly to the participating clubs, with the aim of improving players’ salaries and welfare.

The NFF president believes the commercial injection can help strengthen the league, but only if the different stakeholders work together and maintain the stability that has attracted the new investment.

Gusau, who was elected NFF president in September 2022 after previously serving as chairman of the Zamfara State Football Association and Chairman of Chairmen within the NFF, has made stability and stronger administration central themes of his leadership.

The former Zamfara administrator also has experience within CAF and FIFA structures, having served on several football committees, including the CAF Youth Organising Committee and FIFA Men’s Club Competitions Committee.

Now, with the Euromatch partnership providing a significant financial platform for the NPFL, Gusau wants the league to use the opportunity to rebuild its relationship with its most important stakeholders — the fans.

His proposed weekly star match could also provide a platform for former Super Eagles players to become more involved in domestic football, helping to bring their personalities and experience closer to the league while creating additional interest around selected fixtures.

With the new sponsorship secured and the 2026/27 season approaching, Gusau believes the NPFL has an opportunity to move beyond simply surviving and begin building a commercially stronger competition.

The message from the NFF president is clear: the money is coming, but the real success will be measured by what Nigerian football does with it — and whether the fans finally have a reason to fill the stadiums again.