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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has closed its Candidate Nomination Portal for the submission of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections, following the expiration of a three-day extension granted to political parties.
An INEC official confirmed that political parties made use of the additional time requested to complete the nomination process.
"They asked for the extension and we granted it. Naturally, they utilised the opportunity," the official told journalists.
Among the parties that successfully uploaded their candidates before the portal closed were the All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and several others.
APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, had earlier announced that the ruling party completed the upload of its candidates within the stipulated period.
Similarly, the founder of the NNPP, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, disclosed that the party successfully nominated candidates for more than 90 per cent of the elective positions nationwide.
The portal officially closed at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11, after INEC extended the original August 8 deadline in response to appeals from political parties seeking additional time to finalise their submissions.
The extension marked the second time the commission adjusted its timetable for candidate nominations ahead of the 2027 elections.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, had said the extension was approved following growing requests from political parties to complete the upload of candidates' particulars.
The nomination exercise covered governorship and State House of Assembly candidates scheduled to contest the February 2027 elections.
An INEC official said the commission would not immediately disclose the number of parties or candidates that successfully completed the process until all submissions had been reconciled and verified.
According to the official, releasing figures before completing the verification process could result in inaccurate statistics, especially as parties continued making submissions until the final minutes before the portal closed.
The commission said it would publish the verified figures after completing the reconciliation process.
Earlier in July, INEC similarly extended the deadline for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates from July 11 to July 14 following an appeal by the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
The electoral umpire explained that the extensions were intended to give all registered political parties a fair opportunity to comply with the nomination requirements.
With the close of the nomination portal, INEC is expected to proceed to the next phase of the electoral timetable, including the publication of candidates' personal particulars for public scrutiny ahead of the 2027 general elections.
