Major parties move to meet INEC’s August 8 deadline as nominations for governorship and state assembly elections enter a crucial phase
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have commenced the PDP APC governorship candidate upload process for the 2027 general elections, marking another significant milestone in preparations for Nigeria’s next electoral cycle.
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The exercise follows the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which opened its nomination portal for governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, July 18, with submissions scheduled to close at 6:00 p.m. on August 8.
Speaking on Sunday, the PDP National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, confirmed that the main opposition party began uploading the details of its governorship and state assembly candidates on Saturday.
“The Peoples Democratic Party commenced the upload of its governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates’ details to INEC’s nomination portal on Saturday.
“The exercise has been progressing smoothly without any technical issues, and we are confident that the upload process will be completed well ahead of the deadline,” Bature said.
Within the APC, a senior party official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, also confirmed that the ruling party had started uploading candidates approved by its internal screening process.
According to the source, priority has been given to 16 incumbent governors seeking re-election, while only governorship candidates whose nominations were upheld by the party’s primary election appeal panel and subsequently approved by the National Working Committee are being transmitted to the electoral commission.
“I can confirm that the party commenced the upload process yesterday (Saturday), with priority given to the 16 governors seeking re-election,” the APC official said.
The official disclosed that the APC established a coordination committee headed by Jibrin Bancir, Principal Private Secretary to the party’s National Chairman, to oversee the receipt, verification and transmission of nomination documents before they are uploaded through the party’s ICT department.
“The arrangement is aimed at making the process seamless, efficient and timely,” the source said, adding that slight adjustments could still be made following recommendations submitted by the primary election appeal committee.
Among the governors expected to feature on the APC’s list are Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Hyacinth Alia of Benue, Uba Sani of Kaduna, Abba Yusuf of Kano, Dikko Radda of Katsina, Nasir Idris of Kebbi, Umaru Bago of Niger, Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto, Agbu Kefas of Taraba and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara.
The source also identified several first-time APC governorship flagbearers expected to appear on the nomination list, including Obafemi Hamzat in Lagos, Solomon Adeola in Ogun, Kingsley Chinda in Rivers, Eric Opah in Abia, Mohammed Abubakar in Bauchi, Mustapha Gubio in Borno, Jamilu Gwamna in Gombe, Ahmed Wadada in Nasarawa and Baba Malam Wali in Yobe.
The current nomination exercise follows the earlier submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates, which took place between June 27 and July 11, 2026, in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026. Political parties also submitted the required Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E during that phase of the process.
Under INEC’s timetable, the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates will be published on August 8, while those of governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates are scheduled for publication on August 29, allowing members of the public to scrutinise the nominations.
The commission has also fixed August 22 as the deadline for the withdrawal or substitution of presidential and National Assembly candidates, while governorship and state assembly candidates may be withdrawn or substituted until September 19, subject to the provisions of the Electoral Act.
In total, political parties are expected to submit the names of 28 governorship candidates and 993 candidates for state Houses of Assembly elections nationwide. Governorship elections will not be conducted in Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo and Osun because those states operate off-cycle governorship election schedules.
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The commencement of the upload process represents another critical stage in Nigeria’s electoral preparations, with political parties racing to meet statutory deadlines while ensuring that candidates comply with INEC’s nomination requirements ahead of the 2027 general elections.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
