Kaduna NDC Attributes La’ah’s Absence From INEC List to Registration Name Mix-Up
Kaduna NDC says a registration error involving different versions of Danjuma La’ah’s name led to his exclusion from INEC’s list.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress in Kaduna State says a registration problem involving different versions of Senator Danjuma La’ah’s name is responsible for his absence from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s published list for the 2027 governorship election.
INEC’s final list, signed by commission secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony, contains 16 governorship candidates together with their running mates. La’ah was not among those listed, leaving the NDC without him on the document despite the party’s effort to present him for the Kaduna contest.
Kaduna NDC chairman Mordecai Ibrahim said the difficulty arose during the party’s online registration process. According to his explanation, repeated network disruptions led different people to attempt the registration, and the process produced inconsistent versions of the candidate’s name. The party is now trying to establish that Danjuma Tella La’ah and Danjuma La’ah refer to the same individual.
Ibrahim maintained that the party expects the matter to be resolved and argued that both the NDC and La’ah meet the requirements to take part in the election. Asked about the effect of INEC already publishing its final list, he said legal avenues could still be considered if they become necessary. He referred to a previous election in which, according to him, a court directed that a candidate be added to the ballot shortly before voting.
The source, however, said Ibrahim did not indicate whether the NDC had formally submitted a petition to INEC over the registration problem. He also did not confirm that the party had started court proceedings seeking La’ah’s inclusion.
The omission follows an earlier disagreement within the Kaduna chapter of the NDC over its governorship ticket. In August, Ibrahim said a decision had not yet been reached between La’ah and lawyer Mohammed Sani Abbas as to who would represent the party in the election. That earlier dispute provides additional context to the uncertainty surrounding the party’s candidature.
Candidates appearing on INEC’s list include Sani Uba of the All Progressives Congress, Isa Ashiru of the African Democratic Congress and Bawa Usman of the Peoples Democratic Party. The report said INEC had not provided an immediate response to Ibrahim’s explanation of the NDC registration issue.
For now, the party’s account is that a name-recording discrepancy caused La’ah’s exclusion. Whether INEC accepts that explanation or the NDC pursues a legal remedy was not established in the source report.