Nigerian Parties Delay Candidate Lists for 2027 Elections, Sparking Aspirant Anxiety

Anxiety grips Nigerian political parties as they delay releasing final candidate lists for the 2027 general elections, leaving aspirants in limbo. Weeks after concluding primary elections, major parties including the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and the Labour Party (LP) have yet to publish definitive lists for governorship, National Assembly, and State Assembly positions.

This delay has fueled speculation of internal party conflicts and a deliberate strategy to prevent disgruntled aspirants from pursuing legal challenges. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set a deadline of June 26, 2026, for parties to use its Candidate Nomination Portal, adding urgency to the situation.

The APC has assured that its list will be released soon, while a faction of the PDP stated they await National Executive Committee (NEC) ratification. The NDC defended its non-disclosure, asserting no law mandates public release of candidate lists. The ADC maintained it is within INEC's submission timeline, whereas the LP announced its lists are ratified and ready for upload by June 28.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio acknowledged the palpable anxiety, even noting that some lawmakers affected by the primaries have developed high blood pressure. He urged the APC leadership to handle the final nomination list with sensitivity, emphasizing the party's supremacy while pleading for the inclusion of all members.

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The party is supreme. I’m only pleading with the party to ensure that when they release their final list, they include all of us. Some of my people have hypertensi