The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will on Saturday, August 29, publish the list of candidates nominated by political parties for the February 6, 2027 governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.

The governorship election is scheduled to hold in 28 states, while State Assembly elections will be conducted across all 36 states of the federation.

The 28 states where governorship elections will take place 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.

Governorship elections will not be conducted in Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Edo, Bayelsa, Anambra, Imo and Kogi states, where elections were held at different times under Nigeria’s staggered electoral cycle.

INEC said the publication of the candidate lists is part of its preparations for the 2027 general elections and will give political parties, candidates and the public an opportunity to verify the information submitted to the commission.

The 22 registered political parties are expected to field candidates in states where the tenure of the incumbent governors will expire in 2027, including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kwara and Nasarawa.

The commission has also fixed August 29 as the deadline for political parties to submit their final lists of candidates for the presidential and National Assembly elections.

The deadline follows the August 22 cut-off date for candidates seeking to withdraw from the 2027 elections.

Under Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2026, a candidate seeking to withdraw must submit a written notice, signed by the candidate and accompanied by an affidavit, personally to the political party that nominated the candidate.

INEC is expected to publish the final list of presidential and National Assembly candidates on September 12.

The list will contain candidates contesting the presidency as well as seats in the Senate and House of Representatives.

As the August 29 deadline approaches, political parties are expected to conclude outstanding nomination, substitution and withdrawal processes ahead of INEC’s publication of the candidate lists.

The February 6, 2027 governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will be a major component of the 2027 general elections, with parties now racing to finalise their tickets and prepare for the electoral contest.