INEC Denies Fake Governorship Candidates List For Zamfara, Gombe, Delta And Three Other States

The Independent National Electoral Commission has debunked a fake online publication circulating as a special announcement by the commission on governorship candidates in six states.

The affected states mentioned in the fake publication are Zamfara, Gombe, Delta, Plateau, Yobe and Kano.

INEC Denies Fake Governorship Candidates List For Zamfara, Gombe, Delta And Three Other States

INEC disclosed this in a public notice issued on Monday, October 12, 2026 and shared across its official social media platforms.

According to the commission, the publication did not originate from INEC.

The commission wishes to categorically inform the general public that the publication is fake and did not originate from INEC, the statement read.

The electoral body urged members of the public to disregard the publication and refrain from sharing it.

INEC advised Nigerians to rely only on official notices, press releases and information published through its verified communication channels.

The commission further clarified that any information suggesting that INEC has issued a special announcement concerning governorship candidates in the aforementioned states is false.

INEC urged the public to remain vigilant and verify electoral information through its official channels to avoid being misled by fraudulent publications.

The commission listed its official website as http://inecnigeria.org, its X and Instagram handles as @inecnigeria, its Facebook page as INEC Nigeria and its news portal as http://inecnews.com.

For enquiries and clarification, INEC provided its call centre number as 0700-2255-4632, short code 4632, telephone numbers 090844444333 and 09050858629, and email address iccc@inec.gov.ng.

The commission reiterated its commitment to keeping the public accurately informed and urged Nigerians to obtain electoral information only through its official communication channels.

The warning comes two days after INEC published its final lists of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections, with reports of omissions involving candidates in some states.

It was reported that the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidates in Ogun and Gombe states, Ladi Adebutu and Isa Pantami, were missing from the published lists, with no reasons given for their omission.