With the deadline for the submission of candidates for the 2027 general elections drawing to a close, three political parties were yet to upload the names of their presidential and vice-presidential candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal as of Tuesday evening.
A senior INEC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, identified the affected parties as the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction led by Nyesom Wike, and the Labour Party (LP) faction led by Nenadi Usman.
The official disclosed that virtually all other registered political parties had successfully completed the submission process ahead of the portal’s closure at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday.
“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 deadline following appeals from several political parties seeking additional time to finalise their nominations. The electoral body, however, maintained that no further extension would be granted beyond Tuesday’s deadline.
Under the commission’s timetable, political parties are required to conclude their nomination processes and upload the particulars of their candidates before the portal closes, after which INEC will commence the verification and processing of submissions in accordance with the Electoral Act and its operational guidelines.
The extension, announced on Sunday, shifted the deadline from Saturday, July 11, to midnight on Tuesday, July 14, allowing parties additional time to submit the names and credentials of candidates contesting the presidential, Senate and House of Representatives elections.
By Tuesday evening, indications suggested that the country’s major opposition parties had complied with the commission’s directive by successfully uploading their presidential tickets.
There was also no indication that any party had withdrawn its submission, while the names of their recognised national leaderships remained reflected on the INEC portal.
Among the parties that completed the process were the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which submitted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima as its presidential and vice-presidential candidates for re-election.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) also uploaded the names of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, alongside his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi.
Similarly, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) submitted the names of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
However, INEC sources revealed that some political parties uploaded only the names of their presidential candidates without accompanying vice-presidential nominees, raising questions over whether they would complete the process before the deadline expired.
Meanwhile, uncertainty continued to surround the nomination of National Assembly candidates in some states.
Reports indicated that political stakeholders in Benue, Kwara and Nasarawa states remained unclear over the identities of the Senate and House of Representatives candidates eventually uploaded to the commission’s portal.
With the submission window now closed, attention is expected to shift to INEC’s verification process, during which the electoral umpire will scrutinise candidates’ credentials and ensure compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act ahead of the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 general elections.
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