The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reversed its earlier position and extended the deadline for political parties to submit candidates for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections by three days.
In a statement issued on Sunday by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the commission said the deadline, which expired on Saturday, July 11, 2026, has been extended to midnight on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
“The deadline for submission in the Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election, being Saturday, July 11, 2026, has been extended to midnight on Tuesday, July 14, 2026,” the statement read.
INEC said the extension was approved to promote inclusivity and urged political parties to use the additional window to complete the upload of candidates’ names and personal particulars.
The reversal followed an appeal by the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) after several political parties complained of technical and administrative challenges on INEC’s automated nomination portal. The Young Progressives Party (YPP) was among those that publicly demanded an extension.
Before the deadline was extended, INEC disclosed that 14 political parties had submitted at least some candidates, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), Social Democratic Party (SDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the YPP.
The commission also revealed that only nine parties had uploaded the names of their presidential candidates and running mates, while the APC had submitted its presidential candidate and retained Vice President Kashim Shettima as running mate but had yet to complete submissions for all National Assembly candidates.
INEC warned that candidates whose names differ from those produced through primaries monitored by the commission would be rejected, adding that parties with genuine challenges could still seek substitutions in line with the electoral timetable.
