No deadline extension for 2027 presidential candidate submission – INEC

No deadline extension for 2027 presidential candidate submission – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it will not extend the deadline for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates by political parties for the 2027 general elections.

The commission maintained that Saturday, July 11, was the final day for the exercise.

INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this in an interview while providing an update on submissions made by political parties through the commission’s nomination portal.

According to him, political parties had until midnight on Saturday to upload the names of their presidential and N’Assembly candidates, stressing that the commission would not shift the deadline.

He said, “Various parties have uploaded their nominees. They have until 12 midnight to upload. The deadline is still July 11.”

Haruna said 14 political parties had, as of the time of the interview, submitted candidates through the portal.

The parties are: Action Alliance, African Action Congress, African Democratic Congress, All Progressives Congress, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Allied Peoples Movement, Labour Party, Nigeria Democratic Congress, National Rescue Movement, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Young Progressives Party and Zenith Labour Party.

“The political parties that have so far submitted their candidates on the portal are AA, AAC, ADC, APC, APGA, APM, LP, NDC, NRM, PDP, PRP, SDP, YPP and ZLP,” Haruna revealed.

Providing a breakdown of presidential and vice-presidential nominations received, he said, “The parties that have so far submitted their presidential candidates and running mates are AA, AAC, ADC, APC, NDC, PRP, SDP, ZLP and YPP. Those yet to make any submissions are APGA, LP, NRM, APM and PDP.”

INEC had fixed July 11 as the deadline for political parties to upload the names of their presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections.

The electoral umpire had warned that the commission’s portal would reject the names of candidates different from those who emerged from party primaries monitored by it and that only duly nominated candidates would be accepted in line with the Electoral Act and the commission’s regulations.

Speaking further, Haruna disclosed that the APC had yet to submit all its National Assembly candidates, while the PDP had yet to submit the names of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates as of about 8 p.m. on Saturday.

“I can confirm to you that the APC has submitted its presidential candidate and retained Shettima as his running mate. The only thing is that it has not submitted candidates for all the constituencies. I think they have issues with maybe the Senate and House of Representatives, so they have not submitted some of the names.

“The PDP, too, has not submitted its presidential candidate. The faction recognised by INEC has not submitted its presidential candidate,” he added.

Haruna, however, noted that political parties unable to upload the names of their candidates through the nomination portal could still seek substitution in line with the provisions of the electoral timetable.

The INEC commissioner added that parties that encountered challenges during the submission process would not automatically lose the opportunity to field candidates, explaining that the commission would consider any request for substitution based on the laid-down procedures.

Haruna stated that where parties were unable to complete the upload process, they might be required to appear before the commission for further scrutiny.

He said, “When they make submissions, if it is not consistent, they won’t even be able to upload, but that is not the end of the story. When they try to do the substitution and are unable to, eventually, they may have to come physically. The commission will have to sit to interrogate the names they are replacing. That is where the commission will now take a decision.

“You know there is a provision for substitution. There is always a window for substitution of candidates. It is at that time that the commission can decide whether the proper procedures were followed because there is a procedure for substitution or not, and then we will take a decision whether to accept or not.”

The INEC commissioner emphasised that failure to upload candidates’ names did not automatically disqualify a political party from participating in the election.

“It’s not automatic that because they are unable to upload, that is the end. Under the timetable, there is a provision for substitution, but we haven’t reached that stage yet.”

Haruna added that the commission would only decide whether to accept a substituted candidate after verifying that the political party complied with all procedures prescribed for candidate substitution under the electoral timetable.

Meanwhile, the Young Progressives Party urged INEC to extend the deadline for the submission and upload of candidates’ names and particulars for the 2027 general elections, citing technical challenges encountered on the commission’s candidate nomination portal.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH in Abuja on Saturday, the National Publicity Secretary of the YPP, Wale Egbeola-Martins, said the party would formally advocate an extension to allow affected political parties to complete the nomination process.

He said, “The Young Progressives Party will be advocating an extension of the deadline in the interest of fairness, inclusiveness and the integrity of the electoral process.

“Our position is informed by the fact that the party encountered several challenges in uploading the names of some of our candidates due to issues with the INEC portal, through no fault of the YPP.”

Egbeola-Martins explained that the challenges were experienced in several states where the party conducted valid primaries in line with the Electoral Act.

“In some states, the portal was not enabled for us to upload candidates who emerged from validly conducted primaries held in full compliance with the Electoral Act, with some of those primaries duly monitored by INEC officials,” he added.

According to him, the difficulties were not unique to the YPP, as other political parties also faced similar technical and administrative obstacles during the upload process.

He said, “It is important to note that this challenge is not peculiar to the YPP. Several other political parties experienced similar difficulties arising from technical and administrative issues associated with the portal, many of which were only addressed after repeated engagements with the commission.

“These avoidable challenges have inevitably delayed the completion of the upload process for some parties.

“We therefore call on INEC to extend the deadline to ensure that no political party or candidate is disenfranchised as a result of circumstances beyond their control.”

The YPP spokesman further urged the electoral body to consider granting an extension without waiting for formal requests from affected parties.

“The YPP urges the commission to consider granting this extension even without formal requests from political parties, as it is only fair that parties are given adequate time to complete a process that was hindered by challenges caused by the system itself.

“The credibility of the electoral process is strengthened when every qualified candidate is given a fair opportunity to participate in accordance with the law,” he added.

Meanwhile, a civil society organisation, Women Arise, opposed any planned extension of the deadline, noting that the electoral umpire had given political parties adequate time to comply with the commission’s requirements ahead of the polls.

Speaking with our correspondent, the founder of the group, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, urged respect for the electoral timelines stipulated by the commission.

“Women Arise will not be pushing for an extension of the deadline set by INEC. The commission has already released a comprehensive electoral timetable and clear guidelines, giving all political parties adequate notice and sufficient time to conduct their primaries and comply with the submission requirements.

“Respect for established electoral timelines is essential to the credibility, orderliness and integrity of the democratic process. Every political party is expected to operate within the framework of the law and the timetable issued by INEC.

“As such, Women Arise believes that adherence to these timelines is in the best interest of Nigeria’s democracy and does not support any call for an extension of the deadline,” she stated.