The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have started uploading the names of their governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The process began after the electoral body opened its nomination portal for the submission of candidates’ details in line with the election timetable.
The PDP confirmed that it started uploading its candidates on Saturday. The party said the exercise has been progressing without difficulties and is expected to be completed before the August 8 deadline set by INEC. The party also expressed confidence that all required documents would be submitted within the approved period.
The APC has also commenced the exercise. A senior party official disclosed that priority is being given to governors seeking another term in office. According to the source, only candidates whose nominations were confirmed by the party’s primary election appeal panel and approved by the National Working Committee are being uploaded to the commission’s portal.
The APC also set up a committee to supervise the submission process. The committee is responsible for receiving documents from state chapters, checking that all requirements have been met and forwarding the approved documents to the party’s information technology team for upload. The arrangement is intended to ensure that the exercise is completed smoothly and before the deadline.
The party source added that there could still be minor adjustments to the list of candidates because some petitions from the party primaries were reviewed by the appeal panel before final approval. As a result, only candidates cleared through the internal review process are included in the ongoing submission.
Earlier, political parties submitted the names of their presidential and National Assembly candidates between June 27 and July 11, 2026, in line with INEC’s election timetable. The process included the submission of the required nomination forms under the Electoral Act, 2026.
INEC fixed July 18 to August 8 for the submission of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates. The commission is expected to publish the personal details of presidential and National Assembly candidates on August 8, while those of governorship and state assembly candidates will be displayed on August 29.
The election timetable also allows presidential and National Assembly candidates to withdraw or be replaced until August 22, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates have until September 19 for withdrawal or substitution.
In total, political parties are expected to submit the names of 28 governorship candidates and 993 State Houses of Assembly candidates across the country. Governorship elections will not be conducted in Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo and Osun because those states operate off-cycle election schedules.