INEC Closes 2027 Candidate Portal as APC, PDP, ADC, Others Submit Names

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially shut its portal for political parties to upload the names and details of their governorship and State House of Assembly candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The portal closed at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11, following a three-day extension granted by the commission to allow parties more time to complete the nomination process.

Several political parties reportedly took advantage of the extended deadline, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

An INEC official confirmed that parties utilised the additional window, noting that the extension had been granted following requests from political parties.

APC, NNPP announce successful submissions

APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, had announced that the party completed the upload of its candidates.

The NNPP also said it had successfully submitted candidates for more than 90 per cent of the elective positions it intends to contest.

The latest extension represents the second time INEC has adjusted its candidate-submission deadline for the 2027 elections.

The commission initially set August 8, 2026, as the deadline for parties to submit their governorship and State House of Assembly candidates. It later extended the deadline to August 11 following appeals from political parties.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the extension was approved because of growing requests from parties seeking additional time to complete the process.

INEC holds back figures

Despite the closure of the portal, INEC has yet to release the final number of political parties that successfully submitted candidates.

A senior commission official said the figures would only be announced after the data had been reconciled and verified.

The official explained that releasing figures before the portal closed could have resulted in inaccurate statistics, as parties could still make submissions until the final minutes.

Next stage of 2027 election process

The completed submissions cover governorship and State House of Assembly elections scheduled for February 2027.

The next major stage will include the publication of candidates’ particulars, allowing members of the public and other stakeholders to scrutinise the nominees.

INEC had previously extended the deadline for presidential and National Assembly candidate submissions from July 11 to July 14 following an appeal by the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).

With the latest portal now closed, political parties and candidates will await the commission’s verification and publication of the submitted details as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum.