APC, PDP, ADC Missed July 11 Candidate Submission Deadline — Source

Fresh revelations from sources within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indicate that no registered political party met the original July 11 deadline for uploading the names of National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections.

The development contradicts earlier claims by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that it had successfully completed the submission of its candidates before the deadline.

According to multiple sources within the electoral commission, the July 11 deadline was missed by all political parties, including the APC, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and others. The sources said the commission later extended the deadline to July 14 after political parties appealed for more time.

One INEC source disclosed that more than 70 per cent of APC candidates had not been uploaded to the commission’s portal by the July 11 deadline.

The source added that INEC had to make special arrangements by reopening its internal system to enable political parties complete the submission process after the deadline.

The disclosure differs from a statement issued by the APC on July 12, in which the party announced that it had successfully uploaded the names of its candidates within the original timeline despite having a large number of contestants across the country.

The ruling party had also argued that the deadline extension granted by INEC was requested by opposition parties that failed to conclude their nomination processes on time.

INEC, through its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, confirmed on Monday that the deadline was extended following a request from the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), which appealed on behalf of political parties that were unable to complete the upload of candidates and their personal details within the scheduled period.

Reacting to the extension, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, had maintained that the delay was caused by opposition parties, which he said failed to manage their internal nomination processes despite fielding fewer candidates than the ruling party.

He argued that the development raised questions about the readiness and organisational strength of the opposition, adding that parties unable to complete their own internal exercises would struggle to govern effectively.

The APC also pointed to what it described as a contradiction by opposition parties, noting that while they had often accused the ruling party of influencing INEC’s decisions, they still relied on the electoral commission for additional time after failing to meet the submission deadline.

However, the INEC sources insisted that the extension was not granted because of the opposition alone but because all parties, including the APC, had outstanding candidate submissions.

Meanwhile, the ruling party is also facing internal disagreements over its candidate selection process in some parts of the country.

On Monday, party members and aspirants from Apa State Constituency in Benue State staged a protest at the APC national secretariat in Abuja over what they described as the planned imposition of a candidate ahead of the party’s primary election.

The protesters demanded a transparent primary election, insisting that party members should be allowed to choose their candidate without interference.

A party member, who identified himself simply as Godwin O, alleged that there were moves to issue a nomination ticket to a preferred aspirant without conducting a proper primary election.

He warned that such a decision could divide the party and affect its chances in future elections if not addressed quickly.

The protesters appealed to the APC National Chairman and the National Working Committee (NWC) to intervene and restore confidence in the nomination process.

They also accused one of the party leaders, Sonny Echono, of lacking active involvement in grassroots party activities and argued that candidates should emerge based on loyalty, service and acceptance by party members rather than political influence.

As of the time of filing this report, the APC leadership had not issued an official response to the allegations, while the claims by the protesters had not been independently verified.