2027 candidates: Saturday deadline puts parties under pressure

With the July 11, 2026 deadline for the submission of presidential nomination forms to the Independent National Electoral Commission fast approaching, political parties are running against time to beat the closing date.

The commission fixed 6pm on July 11 as the deadline for political parties to submit the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online nomination portal.

The exercise, which commenced on June 27, covers the submission of Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E in line with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

The commission also scheduled the submission of nomination forms for governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates to begin at 9:00 a.m. on July 18 and close at 6:00 p.m. on August 8, 2026.

According to the timetable, the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates will be published on August 1, while those of governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates will be published on August 29.

Ahead of the elections, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, unveiled former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.

Similarly, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, announced a former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as his running mate.

However, President Bola Tinubu, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, is yet to formally name his running mate for the election, though there are speculations that he has settled for Vice President Kashim Shettima.

If Tinubu eventually names Shettima as his running mate, the development will settle political speculation over the APC’s presidential ticket and reaffirm the party’s decision to retain its 2023 ticket for the 2027 election.

Last year, The PUNCH had exclusively reported that there were indications that Tinubu and Shettima’s political alliance was under strain, amid reports that moves were being considered to drop the Vice President as Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 election.

A meeting of APC North-East stakeholders in Gombe State ended in chaos, as supporters of the Vice President allegedly attacked the then party’s Zonal Vice Chairman, Mustapha Salihu.

The meeting, held at the International Conference Centre in Gombe, was initially convened to reaffirm support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition, but conspicuously made no reference to Shettima.

Tinubu secured the APC presidential ticket for the 2027 election following the nationwide primaries held on Saturday, May 23, 2026.

He officially received his Certificate of Return and the party’s flag the following day, Sunday, May 24, 2026, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

The President won the ticket by a landslide, securing nearly 11 million votes to defeat his sole challenger, Stanley Osifo.

He has, however, yet to announce his running mate, as his choice is being closely watched.

The APC has, however, maintained that the decision rests with the President.

Of the major presidential candidates, only Tinubu and Sandy Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party are yet to announce their respective running mates.

Highly placed party sources, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly, also disclosed that the APC had submitted the Senate nomination forms of Governors AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe) and Hope Uzodimma (Imo) to INEC’s portal.

Placeholder possibility

While details of all presidential candidates and their running mates are expected to be submitted to INEC on or before July 11, the commission’s timetable also provides August 22 for the withdrawal and replacement of presidential and National Assembly candidates.

Similarly, candidates for governorship and state Houses of Assembly have until September 19 for withdrawal and substitution.

Accordingly, the APC may submit Tinubu’s name and forms alongside a placeholder running mate, who can later be replaced with the substantive nominee before the August 22 deadline.

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The PUNCH recalls that ahead of the 2023 election, precisely in June 2022, Tinubu, after winning the party’s ticket, submitted the name of Ibrahim Masari as his “placeholder” vice-presidential candidate to INEC.

This tactical placeholder strategy allowed the APC to meet strict nomination deadlines while Tinubu continued consultations to select a substantive running mate.

Masari formally stepped down as the vice-presidential nominee in July 2022, as his withdrawal paved the way for Tinubu to name Shettima as his substantive running mate, in a strategic decision aimed at bolstering the party’s support in the northern regions.

Following Tinubu’s victory, the Katsina-born politician transitioned into the presidency as a close political ally, as the President appointed him as his Senior Special Assistant on Political Matters in 2023 and subsequently promoted him to Special Adviser on Political Affairs.

The APC source said the party’s leaders and stakeholders were working round the clock to ensure all its candidates’ nomination forms were uploaded before the commission’s deadline.

He stated, “We have covered a lot of ground. The uploading of the candidate list is going as planned. All party leaders and stakeholders saddled with this responsibility are doing their work round the clock. So far, we have been able to upload quite a number of House of Representatives candidates.

“The nomination details of nearly all the party’s principal officers in the 10th National Assembly, along with those of prominent serving lawmakers, have been uploaded.

“We have also uploaded the list of senatorial candidates to the INEC portal. We have uploaded that of the governor of Kwara State. We have uploaded that of the governor of Imo State, and that of the governor of Yobe State has also been uploaded, along with other senatorial candidates.”

Another highly placed source also confirmed that the exercise has progressed smoothly without any setbacks, describing the entire process as orderly, seamless, transparent, and completely hitch-free from the outset.

He stated, “So, the exercise has been hitch-free, and we are hopeful that before the deadline, which is July 11th, we will be able to upload that of the President and his running mate.

“That is perhaps going to be the last to be uploaded. But we are going to complete this exercise before the 11th of this month.

“The APC is a focused party that is doing everything to play by the book, ensure that we comply with the INEC timetable, ensure that our members are duly captured, and give the best to Nigerians.”

ADC, NDC sorted

Earlier, there had been reports from the ADC and NDC that the party had uploaded the names of their presidential candidates and respective running mates.

While the NDC national leader, Seriake Dickson, announced that Obi’s name and his running mate, Kwankwaso, had been uploaded on the INEC portal, the spokesman for the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, also confirmed that Atiku and Amaechi’s names had been uploaded on the electoral commission’s portal.

PDP uploads candidates

In a related development, the PDP says it has uploaded about 60 per cent of its National Assembly candidates on the INEC portal, with efforts ongoing to complete the process.

PDP National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, who disclosed this in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, said out of 100 senatorial and 360 House of Representatives candidates, about 169 entries are still pending due to late submission of documents, adding that the exercise was expected to be concluded by Wednesday.

He stated, “We have completed about 60 per cent of the National Assembly candidate uploads. Efforts are currently ongoing to wrap up the process, as we are still awaiting some candidates to submit their forms for upload.

“Out of 100 senatorial candidates and 360 House of Representatives candidates, approximately 169 entries are yet to be uploaded. This delay is largely due to the late submission of documents by some candidates.

“However, the process is progressing smoothly, with uploads being carried out daily as documents are received. The exercise is expected to be fully concluded by Wednesday.

“Overall, the party remains committed to ensuring that all eligible candidates are captured accurately and within the stipulated timeframe to meet the electoral timetable.”