The Senior Special Assistant on Communications to Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Ibrahim Abdullateef, has suggested that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could be compelled by the courts to remove Senator Saliu Mustapha from its list of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
Abdullateef made the remarks yesterday in a WhatsApp discussion on Kwara Commission, a political discussion group, amid the controversy surrounding the recent Supreme Court judgment on political party membership registers and the nomination of candidates.
Senator Mustapha, who represents Kwara Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, is seeking re-election on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), having parted ways with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The senator’s inclusion in INEC’s published list has generated political controversy, particularly among supporters of Governor AbdulRazaq, who is also expected to contest the Kwara Central senatorial election on the APC platform.
In his WhatsApp post inside a popular WhatsApp group, Kwara Commission, Abdullateef maintained that the legal controversy surrounding the nominations was far from over, insisting that the Supreme Court judgment had yet to be enforced.
“As far as I am concerned, the supreme court judgment has not been enforced. No one can boast that his/her fate has been decided yet,” the governor’s aide wrote.
“We shall see what happens. As of now, it is either INEC does the right thing or the court gets them to do it. We are not at the end of this yet, lawyer Ishowo.”
Although Abdullateef did not expressly mention Mustapha, Kolo Jiya in the quoted message, his remarks were made against the backdrop of the dispute over the senator’s continued inclusion on INEC’s candidate list.
The September 24 judgment of the Supreme Court in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party upheld provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, relating to political party membership registers and the nomination of candidates. However, the judgment did not expressly order the removal of Mustapha or any other named candidate.
The development has nevertheless intensified disagreements over the status of candidates who emerged from party nomination processes before the judgment.
On October 6, INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, confirmed that the commission had received the certified true copy of the judgment and was reviewing its implications following complaints from political parties and aspirants.
Abdullateef’s comments suggest that the governor’s political camp may continue to pursue the nomination controversy through legal channels if INEC declines to alter the published candidate list.
However, the governor’s aide did not disclose whether any fresh legal proceedings had been initiated or identify a specific court action seeking Mustapha’s removal.
Legal commentators have also expressed differing views on the implications of the judgment, particularly whether INEC possesses the authority to remove already published candidates without a specific court order.
The controversy comes amid the political rivalry between Governor AbdulRazaq and Senator Mustapha ahead of the 2027 Kwara Central senatorial election.
