Prof. Sebastine Hon (SAN), the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in Benue, stated that his reinstatement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has strengthened his political support ahead of the 2027 elections.
He noted that the initial omission of his name and that of his running mate, Mrs Margaret Oga, from INEC’s candidate list generated concerns among supporters.
INEC had published its list of candidates on Oct. 10, with the names of Hon and Oga missing as the SDP governorship and deputy governorship candidates in Benue.
Reflecting on the omission and subsequent reinstatement, Hon described the situation as a “blessing in disguise.”
He stated that INEC initially described the omission as a mistake and later acknowledged it as an error.
He added that the SDP formally wrote to the commission on Oct. 14 to challenge the omission.
“My supporters initially believed the omission was an attempt to remove me from the race. This incident has increased support for my candidacy, with some stakeholders from other parties joining my camp,” he said.
He also described the reinstatement as the fulfilment of a prophecy by a pastor, who reportedly predicted that his name would be omitted but later restored.
“What happened to me is both a blessing and the fulfilment of a prophecy,” he said.
Reinstatement of 66 governorship and state House of Assembly candidates after reviewing the final list for the 2027 general election.
INEC National Commission and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Haruna, said in a statement that the commission received complaints about the omission of political parties, the wrongful inclusion of candidates whose names were not in the membership registers submitted by their parties, and alleged multiple nominations.
He explained that after reviewing the complaints against relevant records and legal provisions, it found merit in some petitions and approved the inclusion of the affected candidates and parties. In contrast, it declined others for lacking merit.
Haruna confirmed that some names wrongfully published in the final list have been removed after verification showed they were not on their party registers. Other candidates were removed for non-compliance with legal nomination requirements.
He said 12 political parties across 26 states submitted 69 petitions regarding the governorship election, of which 41 succeeded and 28 failed.
