Following the conclusion of party primaries and nomination of candidates by political parties, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, 1st October 2019, published the names of candidates who will be contesting governorship elections in the Kogi and Bayelsa States. In Kogi State, INEC received 49 nominations from political parties, 8 of which it declared invalid, while 18 parties withdrew their nominations. Therefore, a total of 23 candidates, consisting of 21 men and 2 women will be contesting election in the State. Natasha Akpoti who won the ticket of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kogi State was absent from the list. According to news reports, she was disqualified for presenting an underaged running mate. The party and its candidate have filed a law suit against INEC. National Chairman of the party, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, who addressed journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, 2nd October 2019 described her disqualification as a great disservice to democracy and rebutted a claim that the party had accepted that it would not be on the ballot for the November 16 election.
In Bayelsa State, INEC received 52 nominations from political parties. While it declared 6 nominations invalid, one party withdrew its nomination, leaving a total of 45 candidates on the ballot, 42 of whom are men and 3, women.