The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled July 18 to August 8, 2026, for political parties to upload the names of their governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates following the conclusion of their primaries. This move shifts the focus of political preparations for the 2027 general elections to the state level, coming shortly after the closure of the commission's portal for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates. The previous phase of candidate submissions exposed significant internal weaknesses within several political parties, some of which struggled to meet the initial deadlines and necessitated an extension from the electoral umpire.
The commission had initially scheduled June 27 to July 11 for political parties to submit the names of their presidential, Senate, and House of Representatives candidates. However, following several appeals by the political parties through the Inter-Party Advisory Council, the commission extended the deadline to 11.59 pm on Tuesday, July 14. Although various political parties have successfully conducted primaries across the presidential, National Assembly, governorship, and State Houses of Assembly categories, observers have noted that the processes were heavily plagued in several states by prolonged exercises, litigation, leadership disputes, and intense disagreements over consensus arrangements.
Political analysts predict that the upcoming submission of governorship candidates may prove even more contentious, as many states remain deeply divided following controversial primary elections. In Kano State, the African Democratic Congress is currently engulfed in a leadership crisis as two governorship aspirants, Ibrahim Khalil and Ibrahim Ali-Amin, popularly known as Al’amin Little, lay claim to the party’s ticket, while other aspirants insist that no valid primary election was conducted in the state. Also in Kano, a governorship aspirant, Mukhtar Muhammad, alongside other aspirants of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, approached the Federal High Court seeking to nullify the party’s primaries and restrain the commission from recognizing the candidates.
The All Progressives Congress in Zamfara State also witnessed internal cracks during its primaries after consensus arrangements reportedly collapsed, prompting a senatorial aspirant, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, to challenge the process in court. Although the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State eventually resolved its governorship primary after postponing the exercise, disagreements among aspirants exposed underlying tensions within the party before a consensus eventually emerged. Similarly, in Benue State, some aspirants of the All Progressives Congress protested what they described as the imposition of candidates and called on the national leadership of the party to intervene. In Bauchi State, the party postponed and later rescheduled its governorship primary following disagreements over the process.
Unresolved disputes could complicate the submission of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates, particularly where court cases are pending or rival factions continue to lay claim to party tickets. Governorship contests are often more fiercely contested than legislative elections because they determine control of state structures, making consensus arrangements more difficult to achieve. Unless political parties quickly reconcile aggrieved members, this next phase of candidate nominations could witness heightened instability and renewed calls for an extension of the deadline.
This process may also test the resolve of the commission in enforcing its timetable after it previously granted an extension for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates. Although political parties welcomed the earlier extension, there has been no indication from the electoral umpire that a similar concession will be granted for governorship and State Houses of Assembly nominations. Concerns remain over whether parties grappling with unresolved disputes will be able to meet the August 8 deadline without another round of appeals for an extension. For the commission, the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether political parties can comply with the electoral timetable while managing the internal crises that have trailed their primary elections. Attention will now focus on whether the parties can avoid the controversies that characterized the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates or whether another last-minute scramble to beat the deadline will unfold.
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