Political parties are intensifying efforts to meet the July 11 deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for submitting presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general election.
So far, the African Democratic Congress has submitted the ticket of Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, while the Nigeria Democratic Congress has uploaded Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso. President Bola Tinubu and PDP candidate Sandy Onor are yet to officially announce their running mates.
Sources in the All Progressives Congress said the party has uploaded several National Assembly candidates and plans to submit Tinubu’s nomination before the deadline. The party may adopt a placeholder running mate, as it did in 2022, before making a final substitution by August 22.
The Peoples Democratic Party said it has uploaded about 60 per cent of its National Assembly candidates and expects to complete the exercise before the deadline, despite delays caused by late submission of documents by some aspirants.
INEC fixed July 11 for presidential and National Assembly nominations, while governorship and state assembly candidate submissions will run from July 18 to August 8. The commission also provided August 22 and September 19 as deadlines for candidate withdrawal and replacement.
