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Plateau 2027: SDP Unveils Margaret Inusa Yahaya as Consensus Governorship Candidate
She emerged through a consensus and affirmation process during the party’s governorship primary election held on Tuesday at the Tanjuriel Elite Stars Model Academy School Hall along Old Airport Road in Jos.
Party stakeholders, zonal leaders, supporters, and officials unanimously endorsed Yahaya following consultations and agreements reached across the party’s zonal congresses in the state.
Speaking with journalists after her emergence, Yahaya described her candidacy as a call to serve the people of Plateau State and not a contest based on gender.
According to her, leadership should be based on ability, competence, and the willingness to address the challenges facing the people.
She noted that this would be her second attempt at contesting for the governorship position, recalling that she previously contested in 2019.
“We are not talking about whether women can do better than men. It is about potential, ability, and the will to provide what the people need,” she said.
The SDP governorship candidate expressed concern over insecurity, killings, and economic hardship affecting communities across Plateau State, including Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Mangu, Wase, and Bokkos local government areas.
She said her administration, if elected, would prioritise the welfare and security of the people under a “People First” agenda.
Yahaya also stressed the role of women in peacebuilding and governance, noting that women often bear the greater burden during crises and conflicts.
Describing herself as a pastor, mother, and ambassador for peace, she said her experience and compassion would guide her leadership style.
She called on residents of Plateau State to support the SDP, promising what she described as a new political direction for the state.
Also speaking, the Plateau State Chairman of the SDP, Zim Philip Jibi, described the party as a new dawn for the people of Plateau.
“Our message is simple and clear. Plateau people, there is a new dawn on the Plateau, and that new dawn is SDP,” he said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has unveiled the final list of Lagos State governorship candidate.
The list is contained in a document released by INEC on Saturday in preparation for the 2027 general elections.
According to the document, the Lagos State deputy governor, Femi Hamzat is listed at the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Also on the list is Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, candidate.
Find attach below document containing the full list.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has omitted former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, from its final list of governorship candidates for Gombe State ahead of the February 6, 2027 election.
Politics Nigeria reports that the commission released a list of 16 cleared candidates for the election, but Pantami’s name was missing despite his earlier inclusion in the provisional list published on August 29.
Among the candidates on the final list are Bala Bello Tinka of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Babayo Ardo Kumo of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
Others include Zubairu Mu’azu Halilu of the Labour Party (LP), Lamela L. Silas of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Ibrahim Jalo Abubakar of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Adamu Mohammed Ma’aji of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Pantami’s exclusion comes amid a series of legal disputes over his emergence as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state.
The former minister had initially sought the APC governorship ticket but left the party after it settled for Gwamna as its consensus candidate. He subsequently joined the PDP and emerged as the party’s flag bearer through voice affirmation at its governorship primary.
However, a Federal High Court sitting in Gombe nullified his initial emergence on May 26, following a challenge to the primary process.
The court ordered a fresh primary election, which Pantami won on September 29 with 2,054 votes, defeating Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry.
Garry had challenged Pantami’s emergence, arguing that the required primary election was not properly conducted before the former minister was declared the party’s candidate.
Despite winning the court-ordered rerun, Pantami’s eligibility remained in doubt following the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026 judgment on provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing political party membership registers and candidate eligibility.
The Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026 and upheld INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 elections.
The provisions bar political parties from fielding candidates whose names were not included in the membership registers submitted to INEC within the stipulated period.
INEC has maintained that parties found to have violated the requirements will not be permitted to participate in the elections through candidates whose nominations breach the law.
Mohammed Haruna, an INEC national commissioner in charge of information and voter education, said the commission would not allow parties to replace candidates affected by the provisions.
Haruna made the clarification during an appearance on Trust TV’s programme on Wednesday evening, explaining that allowing substitutions would enable political parties to benefit from their own violations.
He cited previous disputes involving Zamfara and Plateau states to illustrate the consequences of parties failing to comply with electoral requirements.
“It’s like you committed an offence. And then, you come and benefit from it,” Haruna said.
He added that allowing parties to substitute candidates in such circumstances would amount to permitting them to benefit from an offence they had committed.
Haruna also indicated that the commission expected to make a definite pronouncement on the implications of the Supreme Court judgment by the following Tuesday.
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