The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has urged its supporters in Cross River State to remain calm following the omission of its governorship candidate from the final list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the February 6, 2027 election.

The party attributed the development to a bureaucratic error and expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved within the week, allowing its candidate to be included on the list.

Mr Goddie Akpama, the NDC chairman in Cross River, disclosed this on Sunday, saying the party had contacted relevant authorities, including its national secretariat, to address the omission.

According to Akpama, the party has received assurances that efforts are underway to resolve the matter. “We have since contacted the relevant authorities, including our national secretariat, over the issue and have been told that it is being sorted out.

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“I can assure you that all this will be resolved this week; we will have our candidate back on the list,” he said. INEC released the final list of candidates on Saturday, featuring eight political parties for the forthcoming Cross River governorship election.

The parties listed are the All Progressives Congress (APC), All Peoples Party (APP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Labour Party (LP), Action Alliance (AA), Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) was also absent from the list. The NDC’s omission has raised concerns about its participation in the governorship contest, although the party maintains that the situation is being addressed through the appropriate channels.

Akpama urged party members and supporters to continue campaigning for all NDC candidates, including the governorship candidate, despite the uncertainty surrounding the final list.

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He encouraged supporters to concentrate on communicating the party’s message and promoting its candidates across the state rather than becoming distracted by the development.

The party’s leadership expressed optimism that the matter would be resolved soon, reiterating its commitment to participating in the 2027 election.

However, the NDC’s return to the list will depend on the outcome of its engagement with the relevant authorities and any applicable electoral procedures. Until an official update is issued, the status of its governorship candidate remains uncertain.

The development highlights the importance of the final candidate list in determining which political parties and aspirants can contest the forthcoming election. For the NDC, a timely resolution would be crucial to maintaining its campaign momentum and providing clarity to supporters ahead of the poll.