With the deadline for political parties to submit their candidates for the 2027 general elections expiring at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, only three parties were yet to upload the names of their presidential and vice-presidential candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal.
A senior INEC official, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorised to comment publicly, identified the affected parties as the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Nyesom Wike-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Nenadi Usman-led faction of the Labour Party (LP).
The official, however, noted that nearly all registered political parties had successfully completed the submission process, with only a handful yet to comply before the portal closed.
“As of now, only about three political parties are yet to upload the names of their presidential and running mate candidates. They are APGA, the PDP (Wike faction) and the LP (Nenadi faction). Virtually every other party has filed its candidates,” the official said.
INEC had earlier extended the submission deadline following appeals from several political parties, making it clear that the latest extension would be the final opportunity. The commission said parties were expected to conclude the nomination process and upload the names and credentials of their candidates before the portal shut, after which it would begin processing all submissions in line with the Electoral Act and its regulations.
The extension, announced on Sunday, shifted the deadline from Saturday, July 11, to midnight on Tuesday, July 14, allowing parties additional time to upload the particulars of their presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates.
By Tuesday evening, indications showed that the leading opposition parties had successfully met the requirement. There was also no sign that any submitted nominations had been withdrawn, while the names of the recognised national leaderships of the various parties remained visible on the INEC portal.
Among the parties that completed the process were the All Progressives Congress (APC), which submitted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima as its presidential ticket for re-election. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) also uploaded the names of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, while the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) submitted Peter Obi as its presidential candidate alongside Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as his running mate.
Sources within INEC disclosed that some political parties uploaded only the names of their presidential candidates, leaving out those of their running mates ahead of the deadline.
Meanwhile, uncertainty continued to trail the nomination of National Assembly candidates in some states. Reports indicated that confusion persisted in Benue, Kwara and Nasarawa over the identities of candidates whose names were eventually uploaded to the commission's portal.
