Political parties are making last-minute efforts to meet the July 11, 2026 deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the submission of presidential and National Assembly nomination forms ahead of the 2027 general elections.
DIP CONNECT ONLINE NEWS reports that INEC fixed 6:00 p.m. on July 11 as the closing time for political parties to upload the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online nomination portal.
The submission process, which commenced on June 27, covers Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
According to the electoral timetable, the submission of nomination forms for governorship and State House of Assembly candidates will begin at 9:00 a.m. on July 18 and end at 6:00 p.m. on August 8, 2026.
INEC also announced that the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates will be published on August 1, while those of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates will be displayed on August 29.
Ahead of the elections, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, unveiled former Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.
Similarly, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, announced former Rabiu Kwankwaso as his vice-presidential candidate.
However, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has yet to officially announce his running mate, although there is widespread speculation that he will retain Kashim Shettima.
If Shettima is eventually confirmed, it would end months of political speculation and reaffirm the APC's decision to retain its 2023 presidential ticket for the 2027 election.
Reports of possible changes to the APC ticket emerged last year amid speculation that Tinubu's political alliance with Shettima had become strained, with discussions allegedly taking place over replacing the Vice President.
The speculation intensified after a meeting of APC North-East stakeholders in Gombe State ended in chaos, following the alleged assault on the party's then Zonal Vice Chairman, Mustapha Salihu, by supporters of Shettima after the gathering endorsed Tinubu's second-term ambition without mentioning the Vice President.
Tinubu secured the APC presidential ticket during the party's nationwide primaries held on May 23, 2026, before receiving his Certificate of Return and the party's flag on May 24 at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.
He reportedly defeated his sole challenger, Stanley Osifo, by a landslide, polling nearly 11 million votes.
Among the leading presidential candidates, only Tinubu and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sandy Onor, have yet to officially unveil their running mates.
Possibility of a Placeholder Running Mate
Although political parties are expected to submit the details of their presidential candidates and running mates before July 11, INEC's timetable provides until August 22 for the withdrawal and substitution of presidential and National Assembly candidates.
Governorship and State House of Assembly candidates have until September 19 to withdraw or be replaced.
This provision means the APC could submit Tinubu's nomination alongside a placeholder vice-presidential candidate before replacing the individual with a substantive nominee before the August deadline.
A similar strategy was adopted ahead of the 2023 general election when Tinubu initially submitted the name of Ibrahim Masari as a placeholder vice-presidential candidate before he later withdrew, paving the way for Shettima's nomination.
Following Tinubu's victory in 2023, Masari was appointed Senior Special Assistant on Political Matters and was later elevated to Special Adviser on Political Affairs.
APC Confident of Meeting Deadline
Highly placed APC sources disclosed that party leaders and stakeholders are working around the clock to ensure all candidates' nomination forms are uploaded before the deadline.
According to one source, the party has successfully uploaded the nomination details of numerous House of Representatives candidates, principal officers of the 10th National Assembly and several serving lawmakers.
The source also confirmed that the senatorial nomination forms of AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Hope Uzodimma and Mai Mala Buni, alongside other senatorial candidates, have already been uploaded to INEC's portal.
Another senior APC official described the nomination exercise as orderly, transparent and hitch-free, expressing confidence that the nomination forms of Tinubu and his running mate would be submitted before the July 11 deadline.
The source added that the APC remains committed to complying fully with INEC's timetable and ensuring all its candidates are duly captured.
ADC and NDC Complete Presidential Uploads
The ADC and NDC have already confirmed the successful submission of their presidential tickets.
NDC National Leader, Seriake Dickson, announced that the names of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso had been uploaded to the INEC portal.
Similarly, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi confirmed that the nomination forms of Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi had also been successfully submitted.
PDP Says 60 Per Cent of National Assembly Candidates Uploaded
Meanwhile, the PDP disclosed that it has uploaded about 60 per cent of its National Assembly candidates to INEC's nomination portal.
The party's National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, revealed that out of 100 senatorial and 360 House of Representatives candidates, approximately 169 entries remain outstanding due to the late submission of required documents.
He explained that uploads are being carried out daily as candidates submit their documentation and expressed optimism that the exercise would be completed before the stipulated deadline.
Bature reaffirmed the PDP's commitment to ensuring that all qualified candidates are accurately captured on the INEC portal in compliance with the electoral timetable.
ADEOLA KUNLE
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