APC, PDP, SDP, NDC Complete 2027 Candidate Uploads Ahead of INEC Deadline

The All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and New Democratic Congress (NDC) have announced the completion of their candidate uploads to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal ahead of the deadline for the 2027 general elections.

The development marks a significant step in the parties’ preparations for the elections as political organisations conclude the administrative processes required to formalise their candidates.

The ruling APC said it completed the exercise ahead of the original deadline, describing the feat as a demonstration of its organisational readiness for the 2027 elections.

APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, said the party had successfully uploaded candidates for all elective positions, from the State Houses of Assembly to the presidency.

“The APC has once again demonstrated that we are prepared for the responsibility of governing Nigeria. We did not wait until the last minute,” Yilwatda said.

He said the exercise involved the nomination, documentation, verification and electronic submission of thousands of candidates across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The PDP faction led by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, also confirmed completion of its submission.

Spokesman for the faction, Jungudo Haruna, said the process was completed without technical difficulties.

“We have uploaded our candidates’ names. There were no glitches,” Haruna said.

The NDC similarly confirmed that it had completed the submission of its candidates through the INEC portal.

“We have completed ours,” the party’s spokesman, Osa Director, said.

SDP spokesman, Rufus Aiyenigba, also confirmed that the party had submitted its candidates.

The completion by the four parties comes as political organisations across the country move from internal nominations to the formal administrative stage of the 2027 electoral process.

INEC’s electronic nomination system allows political parties to submit, update or withdraw candidates and upload the required supporting documents, creating an electronic record of the nomination process.

The commission had initially fixed August 8 as the deadline for the relevant stage of the nomination process before granting a three-day extension to August 11 following appeals from political parties seeking additional time to complete their submissions.

The nomination process covers different categories of elective positions, including presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State House of Assembly candidates, in line with the commission’s electoral timetable.

However, completion of the electronic upload does not mean the candidates will automatically appear on the ballot. INEC is still required to undertake the necessary scrutiny and publish the relevant candidate information in accordance with the electoral timetable and applicable laws.

The Electoral Act 2026 has also modified the statutory timetable for candidate submissions, reducing the general period for the submission of party candidate lists from 180 days before election day under the previous framework to 120 days.

For the APC, completing the exercise ahead of the original deadline provides an opportunity for the ruling party to demonstrate administrative preparedness as the 2027 election cycle gathers momentum.

For the opposition parties, the completion of the uploads removes a major procedural hurdle and allows them to focus more attention on campaign organisation, candidate visibility and broader political mobilisation.

With APC, PDP, SDP and NDC now confirming that their candidate submissions are complete, the parties have moved another step closer to the formalisation of the line-up from which Nigerians will choose their representatives in the 2027 general elections.

The focus will now shift to INEC’s scrutiny, publication of candidate particulars and subsequent stages of the electoral timetable as preparations for the polls intensify.