The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) confirmed the successful upload of their candidates’ details to the commission’s nomination portal.
INEC announced that the deadline, originally fixed for Saturday, 11 July 2026, has been extended to midnight on Tuesday, 14 July 2026.
In a statement signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the commission said the decision followed an appeal by the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on behalf of political parties that were unable to complete the process within the stipulated timeframe.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission has approved the extension of the deadline for submission of lists of candidates for the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly Elections by political parties,” the commission stated.
INEC said the extension reflects its commitment to ensuring an inclusive electoral process while remaining within the provisions of the Electoral Act. It urged all political parties yet to complete the process to utilise the additional time before the new deadline.
APC confirms successful submission
Earlier, APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, announced that the ruling party had successfully completed the upload of all its candidates to the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal.
In a post on his verified X account, Yilwatda congratulated party members and candidates on the milestone.
“I congratulate our candidates, leaders, and members of APC on the successful 100 per cent upload of our Presidential, Vice Presidential, Senate, and House of Representatives candidates on the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal.”
The APC uploaded a total of 471 candidates, comprising its presidential and vice-presidential candidates, 109 senatorial candidates, and 360 House of Representatives candidates.
He said the party’s attention would now shift to mobilisation and preparations for the 2027 election campaign.
PDP also completes upload
The Peoples Democratic Party also confirmed that it had successfully submitted the names of its presidential candidate, running mate and National Assembly candidates.
PDP National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, described the completion of the exercise as another important achievement for the party.
“I am pleased to inform all PDP members and Nigerians that our great party, under my leadership, has successfully uploaded the names of our presidential candidate, his running mate, and our National Assembly candidates onto the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal,” he said.
The announcement came with the backing of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
APC mocks opposition parties
Reacting to INEC’s decision to extend the deadline, the APC criticised opposition parties that failed to meet the original submission date.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the ruling party said the extension exposed the opposition’s organisational weaknesses and raised concerns about their readiness to govern.
The APC argued that while INEC acted within its legal powers in granting the extension, the inability of some parties to complete their internal nomination process on schedule reflected poor organisational capacity.
The party also accused the opposition of hypocrisy, noting that some of the same parties that had previously alleged that the APC influenced INEC’s decisions later sought relief from the commission after missing the deadline.
According to the APC, successfully meeting the original deadline demonstrated its discipline, commitment to due process and organisational strength ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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