The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has granted political parties an additional three days to submit the names of their candidates for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the commission announced that the new deadline is midnight on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, replacing the earlier deadline of Saturday, July 11.
The extension comes after INEC initially maintained that there would be no shift in the timetable despite complaints from several political parties over technical difficulties encountered on its online candidate nomination portal.
According to the statement signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the commission approved the extension following appeals from the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), which requested more time on behalf of affected political parties.
INEC said the decision reflects its commitment to ensuring that all eligible political parties have a fair opportunity to complete the nomination process while complying with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The commission urged parties to make effective use of the additional three-day window by uploading the names and personal particulars of their candidates before the revised deadline.
Several political parties had reported that technical and administrative challenges prevented them from completing their submissions before the original closing date.
Among those that called for an extension was the Young Progressives Party (YPP), which argued that candidates should not lose the opportunity to contest because of problems associated with the nomination portal.
Before announcing the extension, INEC had repeatedly stated that the July 11 deadline would remain unchanged; It also disclosed that some major political parties were yet to conclude the submission of their presidential and National Assembly candidates.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) confirmed that it had successfully uploaded the details of its 471 candidates for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections ahead of the revised deadline.
