Three political parties had yet to complete the submission of their presidential tickets to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the deadline for uploading candidates for the 2027 general election expired on Tuesday night.
A senior INEC official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, disclosed that the affected parties were 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).
According to the official, nearly all registered political parties successfully uploaded the details of their presidential and National Assembly candidates before the commission’s nomination portal closed, leaving only a few parties yet to complete the process.
INEC had earlier extended the submission deadline after appeals from several political parties seeking additional time to finalise their nominations. However, the commission made it clear that the extension was final and that no further requests would be entertained.
With the portal closing at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, political parties were expected to complete the upload of the names and credentials of their presidential, vice-presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates in line with the Electoral Act.
By Tuesday evening, reports indicated that the country’s major opposition parties had already submitted their presidential tickets, while there was no evidence that any recognised nominations had been withdrawn from the commission’s portal.
Among the parties that completed the process were the All Progressives Congress (APC), which retained President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima as its presidential ticket, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which submitted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), which nominated Peter Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Sources within the electoral commission also revealed that some political parties uploaded only the names of their presidential candidates without including their running mates before the deadline.
Despite the progress made at the national level, uncertainty reportedly remained in several states over the identities of some National Assembly candidates, particularly in Benue, Kwara and Nasarawa, where disagreements over party nominations persisted.
Attention also remained on the leadership dispute within the ADC following a recent Court of Appeal judgment concerning the party’s state congresses. Although the ruling generated speculation about its possible impact on the party’s nominations, checks showed that INEC’s official portal still recognised former Senate President David Mark as the party’s National Chairman, while former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola remained listed as National Secretary.
Other members of the party’s National Working Committee also continued to appear on the commission’s records, suggesting that no immediate changes had been made following the appellate court’s decision.
Meanwhile, the ADC renewed its call for the arrest and prosecution of its former Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, over claims that he had accessed INEC’s restricted nomination portal and uploaded candidates on behalf of the party.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said INEC had already confirmed that the document circulated by Gombe was forged and that his claim of gaining access to the commission’s portal was false.
According to the ADC, such actions could undermine public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process if left unaddressed, urging the commission to involve security agencies in investigating the matter.
The party also confirmed that it had successfully uploaded the names of Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate and Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate, describing the development as another milestone in its preparations for the 2027 elections.
Separately, the NDC announced that it had also completed the upload of its candidates after gaining access to the commission’s nomination portal, while stating that it had filed an appeal and an application for a stay of execution over an ongoing legal dispute affecting the party.
In another development, the Wike-backed PDP faction announced that it had submitted the names of its presidential candidate, vice-presidential candidate and National Assembly nominees, insisting that the move demonstrated its determination to participate fully in the 2027 general election.
Meanwhile, proceedings in a lawsuit involving the Accord Party and INEC were adjourned after fresh court documents were served on the legal team of presidential aspirant Olawepo Gbenga-Hashim. He is asking the court to recognise him as the party’s lawful presidential candidate or, alternatively, order a fresh primary election. As of the time of filing the report, it remained unclear whether his name had been uploaded to the INEC nomination portal because the case was still before the court.
