Political parties are currently rushing to meet the July 11, 2026 deadline fixed by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the submission of presidential and National Assembly nomination forms. The electoral umpire set 6:00 p.m. on the closing date as the final timeline for political parties to upload the credentials of their candidates via its dedicated online portal. The process, which effectively began on June 27, requires political parties to submit Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E in strict compliance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026. Furthermore, the electoral commission has slated the submission period for governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates to commence at 9:00 a.m. on July 18 and terminate at 6:00 p.m. on August 8, 2026. Based on the official election timetable, the personal particulars of the presidential and National Assembly frontrunners will be made public on August 1, followed by the publication of details for governorship and state assembly contenders on August 29.
Ahead of the upcoming general elections, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, has unveiled former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his vice-presidential running mate. In a similar move, the flagbearer of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, announced former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso as his official running mate for the presidential race. However, President Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, has yet to formally declare his running mate, though political speculations indicate he may retain Vice President Kashim Shettima. If the President confirms Shettima, it will resolve ongoing political debates over the ruling party's ticket and solidify the retention of their 2023 political partnership for the 2027 polls. This follows previous reports that their political alliance was facing strains, particularly after a meeting of North-East stakeholders in Gombe State ended in disruptions when Shettima’s name was conspicuously omitted from endorsements.
President Tinubu clinched the ticket of the All Progressives Congress during the nationwide party primaries held on Saturday, May 23, 2026, securing nearly 11 million votes to defeat his sole challenger, Stanley Osifo. He formally received his Certificate of Return and the party flag the next day, Sunday, May 24, 2026, at the International Conference Centre in Abuja. Aside from Tinubu and Sandy Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party, most major presidential candidates have already announced their running mates. Top party sources have also disclosed that the ruling party has uploaded the senatorial nomination forms of several incumbent governors, including Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, and Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State onto the commission's portal.
Due to the flexibility in the commission's timetable, which allows for the withdrawal and replacement of presidential and National Assembly candidates until August 22, the ruling party might initially submit a placeholder name alongside Tinubu. This tactical approach reflects the party’s strategy ahead of the 2023 elections when Tinubu submitted Ibrahim Masari as a placeholder before substituting him with Shettima after wider consultations. Masari subsequently stepped down in July 2022 and was later appointed as a political adviser within the presidency. A highly placed source within the party's national leadership confirmed that the upload process has advanced significantly. The source stated, “We have covered a lot of ground. The uploading of the candidate list is going as planned. All party leaders and stakeholders saddled with this responsibility are doing their work round the clock. So far, we have been able to upload quite a number of House of Representatives candidates. The nomination details of nearly all the party’s principal officers in the 10th National Assembly, along with those of prominent serving lawmakers, have been uploaded. We have also uploaded the list of senatorial candidates to the INEC portal. We have uploaded that of the governor of Kwara State. We have uploaded that of the governor of Imo State, and that of the governor of Yobe State has also been uploaded, along with other senatorial candidates.”
Another prominent party source described the registration exercise as orderly and completely hitch-free from its inception. The official noted, “So, the exercise has been hitch-free, and we are hopeful that before the deadline, which is July 11th, we will be able to upload that of the President and his running mate. That is perhaps going to be the last to be uploaded. But we are going to complete this exercise before the 11th of this month. The APC is a focused party that is doing everything to play by the book, ensure that we comply with the INEC timetable, ensure that our members are duly captured, and give the best to Nigerians.” Meanwhile, both the African Democratic Congress and the Nigeria Democratic Congress have successfully sorted out their entries. The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Seriake Dickson, confirmed that Obi and Kwankwaso's forms have been submitted, while the African Democratic Congress spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, verified that Atiku and Amaechi's details are fully uploaded.
Concurrent with these developments, the Peoples Democratic Party revealed that it has successfully processed about 60 per cent of its National Assembly candidates on the portal. The National Organising Secretary of the party, Umar Bature, explained that roughly 169 entries out of 100 senatorial and 360 House of Representatives candidates are outstanding due to documentation delays but assured that everything would be finalized by Wednesday. Bature stated, “We have completed about 60 per cent of the National Assembly candidate uploads. Efforts are currently ongoing to wrap up the process, as we are still awaiting some candidates to submit their forms for upload. Out of 100 senatorial candidates and 360 House of Representatives candidates, approximately 169 entries are yet to be uploaded. This delay is largely due to the late submission of documents by some candidates. However, the process is progressing smoothly, with uploads being carried out daily as documents are received. The exercise is expected to be fully concluded by Wednesday. Overall, the party remains committed to ensuring that all eligible candidates are captured accurately and within the stipulated timeframe to meet the electoral timetable.”
0 Comments