Three Parties Miss INEC Deadline For Presidential Candidate Upload

Only three political parties were yet to upload the names of their presidential and vice-presidential candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, portal as of the 11:59pm Tuesday deadline for the 2027 general elections.

A senior INEC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, listed the affected parties as the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA; the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP faction led by Nyesom Wike; and the Labour Party, LP faction led by Nenadi Usman.

“As of now, only about three political parties are yet to upload the names of their presidential and running mate candidates. They are APGA, the PDP (Wike faction) and the LP (Nenadi faction). Virtually every other party has filed its candidates,” the official said.

The official added that almost all registered political parties had successfully uploaded the names of their candidates.

*INEC extends deadline, major parties comply*

The commission had on Sunday extended the deadline for the submission of candidates from Saturday, July 11 to midnight, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, following appeals by political parties. INEC said no further extension would be granted.

With the portal closed, indications emerged that the presidential candidates of the major opposition parties had met the requirement. 

Parties that successfully uploaded their candidates include the All Progressives Congress, APC, which is fielding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for re-election; the African Democratic Congress, ADC, which uploaded Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi; and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, which uploaded Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

INEC sources said some parties submitted only the names of their presidential candidates without running mates. As of Tuesday evening, there was no indication that any submission had been withdrawn.

*Confusion persists over NASS candidates*

Despite the uploads, confusion persisted in some states over the identities of National Assembly candidates. _Daily Trust_ gathered that in Benue, Kwara and Nasarawa states, there was still uncertainty over the names that made it onto the portal.

The National Chairman of the Nyesom Wike-backed PDP, Abdulrahman Mohammed Takushara, said the party under his leadership had uploaded the names of its presidential candidate, running mate and National Assembly candidates. 

“This is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the promise we made that, under my leadership, the PDP will fully participate in the 2027 general elections,” he said.

*ADC leadership tussle, forgery allegation*

There were fears that the Court of Appeal judgment affirming an earlier order restraining INEC from recognising state congresses conducted by the David Mark-led ADC leadership could affect the party’s submissions.

However, checks showed that as of Tuesday, Mark remained listed on the INEC portal as ADC National Chairman, with former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary. Others listed include Dr. Mani Ibrahim Ahmad as National Treasurer and Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor as National Legal Adviser.

The ADC called for the arrest of Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former Deputy National Chairman, over claims that he obtained INEC’s access code and uploaded candidates. INEC had dismissed the document circulated by Gombe as false and forged.

In a statement, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, urged INEC to refer the matter to law enforcement agencies, warning that such claims could erode public confidence. Abdullahi confirmed the party had uploaded Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi.

*NDC, Accord Party updates*

National Leader of the NDC, Henry Seriake Dickson, said the party had been granted access to the portal after filing an appeal against a recent court ruling.

Meanwhile, the suit filed by Olawepo Gbenga-Hashim against the Accord Party and INEC was adjourned to today. Gbenga-Hashim is asking the court to compel the party to submit his name to INEC as its 2027 presidential candidate, claiming he won the primary held on June 30, 2026. 

As of press time, it could not be confirmed if his name had been uploaded due to the pending court case.

INEC is expected to begin processing the submissions in line with the Electoral Act and its guidelines.