The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the lists of their candidates for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections scheduled for the February 2027 General Election.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.
According to INEC, the deadline for political parties to upload their lists of candidates to the dedicated portal, originally scheduled to expire on Saturday, August 8, 2026, has now been extended to Tuesday, August 11.
The commission said the decision followed appeals from political parties for additional time to complete the submission process.
The extension comes as preparations intensify for the 2027 General Election, with political parties finalising their candidates for various elective positions.
PVC Download Window Closes Sunday
In a related development, INEC announced that the window for voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to print downloadable copies of their cards would close at midnight on Sunday, August 9.
The commission said the deadline was necessary to enable it to compile data on downloaded PVCs and establish the final statistics for total PVC collection ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election.
INEC recalled that PVC collection in Osun State began at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026.
However, following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres, the commission extended Registration Area-level collection to July 31.
Collection subsequently moved to the local government level and continued from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
INEC stressed that the stolen PVCs could not be used to vote in the election.
The commission urged voters in the affected areas to make use of the replacement cards and assured the people of Osun State of its preparedness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on August 15.
The Osun governorship election is expected to be closely watched as political parties intensify their campaigns and mobilisation ahead of the poll.
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