Candidates’ Upload: Opposition not ready for 2027 Polls, APC reacts to INEC’s deadline extension

Nigeria's ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that opposition parties are not ready for the 2027 general elections, citing their failure to meet the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) deadline for submitting candidate names. The APC announced its successful compliance with the deadline, despite fielding a large number of candidates across various elective offices.

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) is pleased to announce that it successfully met the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) deadline for the submission of names of its candidates for the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections. Our great Party satisfied this requirement despite the large number of Party candidates contesting on the Party’s platform for the various elective offices.

In a statement, the APC highlighted that while they met the July 11 deadline, opposition parties requested and received an extension to July 14, 2026. The party noted that INEC granted this extension, acknowledging the appeals from the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on behalf of parties unable to upload their candidate particulars on time.

The APC, through its spokesman Felix Morka, pointed out the irony of opposition parties, who often accuse the APC of controlling INEC, turning to the same commission for relief. "Political parties that cannot efficiently conclude their own internal nomination processes cannot possibly be trusted by Nigerians to possess the competence, discipline, or readiness to govern our great nation," Morka stated. He argued that the opposition's inability to manage their nominations, even with fewer candidates compared to the APC, exposes their "chronic inherent weakness."

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This development provides yet another clear indication of the opposition’s chronic inherent weakness and raises legitimate questions about their operational capacity. Political parties that cannot efficiently conclude their own internal nomination processes cannot possibly be trusted by Nigerians to possess the competence, discipline, or readiness to govern our great nation or its subnational governments.

The ruling party suggested that this development raises legitimate questions about the opposition's operational capacity and readiness to govern. The APC's statement underscores a clear political narrative ahead of the 2027 polls, positioning itself as the competent and organized party ready to lead.

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It is starkly ironical that the same opposition parties have repeatedly peddled false, malicious and unfounded tales that the APC controls and dictates INEC’s decisions. Yet, as they failed to meet the submission deadline, they shamelessly turned to the same INEC for respite.