National secretariats of various political parties across the federation experienced intense activities on Friday as they moved to comply with the strict timelines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2027 general elections. The electoral umpire has mandated all political organisations to submit their membership registers on or before the midnight of Sunday, May 10. This deadline has triggered a wave of political realignments and cross defections, with the Nigeria Democratic Congress emerging as a major beneficiary after receiving three senators and 18 members of the House of Representatives.
The ruling All Progressives Congress concluded the sale of its nomination forms on May 6 and ended the collection of forms on May 7. The party commenced the screening of aspirants on Friday, an exercise expected to conclude on Tuesday, May 12, with the final list of screened candidates scheduled for publication on May 13, 2026. Meanwhile, the Nigeria Democratic Congress and the Social Democratic Party are set to hold their national conventions today in Abuja and Bauchi respectively.
The Labour Party has revised its schedule, indicating that the sale of nomination forms for all elective offices which began on May 6 will end on Monday, May 16. The submission of these forms is slated for May 17 and 18, while screening is scheduled for May 20 for House of Assembly and Governorship aspirants and May 22 for National Assembly and Presidential hopefuls. The party intends to conduct its primaries on May 27 for state positions and May 29 for federal offices.
In a unique move, the BOOT Party introduced a framework known as Trust Before Ticket for its aspirants. The National Chairman of the party, Sunny Adenuga, stated that the presidential expression of interest form would cost N5 million. Explaining the new initiative, Adenuga said, “Trust Before Ticket means accountability before power and responsibility before representation. Nigeria does not need recycled political habits under new branding.” He further clarified that a N500 million presidential trust fund would be managed in a bank account rather than paid directly to the party. According to him, “The money never sits with the party. It is meant solely for electioneering activities based on agreements signed by all parties involved.”
The Peoples Democratic Party is currently navigating an internal split between a bloc backed by the interim National Working Committee and another aligned with Nyesom Wike. This has resulted in parallel claims and differing schedules in some states. The party has fixed the sale of forms between May 5 and May 13, with ward primaries set for May 27 and a special convention for the ratification of candidates on May 30.
Other parties are also finalising their arrangements. The African Democratic Congress will conclude its sale of forms on May 10 and has scheduled its presidential primary for May 25, followed by a national convention on May 27. The Peoples Redemption Party has fixed its presidential primaries for May 24, 2026, as it continues membership revalidation and restructuring following the recognition of the leadership of Hakeem Baba Ahmed. The Accord Party has scheduled its presidential primary for May 21.
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