APC, ADC, NDC, Others Complete Candidate Upload as INEC Portal Closes
ISSN: 2354-4481
By Rita Onuoha
Political parties participating in the 2027 general elections have completed the upload of their governorship and State House of Assembly candidates following the closure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nomination portal.
The dedicated portal for the submission of candidates’ names and particulars closed at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, after INEC granted political parties a three-day extension to complete the process.
Parties that reportedly utilised the additional window include the All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and others.
An INEC official confirmed that political parties had taken advantage of the extension after requesting additional time to complete the upload of their candidates.
“It’s obvious. They asked for it and we gave it to them. So obviously, they must have used it,” the official said.
INEC had initially fixed Saturday, August 8, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to submit the names and particulars of their governorship and State House of Assembly candidates.
However, the commission extended the deadline to Tuesday, August 11, following appeals from political parties experiencing difficulties with the nomination process.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the extension was approved in response to “growing appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the process.”
The exercise covered candidates for governorship and State House of Assembly seats ahead of the elections scheduled for February 2027.
Under INEC’s revised electoral timetable, political parties were required to submit their nomination forms and candidates’ particulars through the commission’s dedicated Candidate Nomination Portal.
The commission had earlier declined to release the number of parties that successfully uploaded their candidates, saying the figures would only be made available after the portal closed and the submissions had been fully reconciled.
A senior INEC official explained that releasing the figures before the deadline could produce inaccurate statistics because parties could still make submissions during the final minutes of the exercise.
The official said the commission would verify the information submitted before releasing the final figures to the public.
The APC had earlier announced that it had completed the upload of its candidates. The party’s National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, disclosed over the weekend that the party had fully complied with the submission requirements.
Similarly, NNPP founder, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, said the party had succeeded in fielding candidates for more than 90 per cent of the elective positions.
The latest extension is the second time INEC has adjusted the deadline for political parties to submit candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
In July, the commission extended the deadline for the submission of Presidential and National Assembly candidates from July 11 to July 14, 2026.
INEC said that extension followed an appeal by the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on behalf of political parties that encountered difficulties uploading candidates’ details.
With the governorship and State Assembly nomination window now closed, INEC is expected to proceed with the next stages of the electoral timetable, including the publication of candidates’ particulars for public scrutiny.
The publication is expected later in August as political parties and candidates prepare for the February 2027 governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
