By By Elizabeth Ugbo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have started uploading the names of their governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal for the 2027 general elections. The exercise began on Saturday, follows INEC’s nomination timetable, covers states holding governorship elections, and aims to meet the August 8, 2026 submission deadline through a coordinated verification and upload process.
PDP, APC Begin Candidate Upload to INEC Portal
Political parties are now submitting the details of their governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates through INEC’s nomination portal.
Earlier, parties submitted the nomination lists for presidential and National Assembly candidates between June 27 and July 11, 2026, in line with the electoral timetable.
Speaking exclusively, PDP National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, confirmed that the party began uploading candidates’ details on Saturday.
According to him, the process has progressed without technical challenges.
“The Peoples Democratic Party commenced the upload of its governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates’ details to INEC’s nomination portal on Saturday.
“The exercise has been progressing smoothly without any technical issues, and we are confident that the upload process will be completed well ahead of the deadline,” Bature said.
Similarly, a senior APC official disclosed that the ruling party also commenced the upload process on Saturday.
The official explained that only candidates cleared by the party’s primary election appeal committee and approved by the National Working Committee (NWC) would appear on the final list.
APC Prioritises 16 Incumbent Governors
The APC source revealed that the party gave priority to its 16 incumbent governors seeking re-election.
According to the official, the party constituted a committee headed by Jibrin Bancir, Principal Private Secretary to the APC National Chairman, to supervise the exercise.
The committee receives documents from state chairmen, verifies all requirements, and forwards qualified submissions to the ICT department for upload.
The official added that the arrangement would ensure a seamless and timely process.
However, the source noted that minor adjustments could still occur following recommendations from the primary election appeal committee.
APC Governorship List Features Returning and New Candidates
The APC list includes 16 governors seeking another term.
They are:
- Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom)
- Hyacinth Alia (Benue)
- Uba Sani (Kaduna)
- Abba Yusuf (Kano)
- Dikko Radda (Katsina)
- Nasir Idris (Kebbi)
- Umaru Bago (Niger)
- Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau)
- Ahmed Aliyu (Sokoto)
- Agbu Kefas (Taraba)
- Dauda Lawal (Zamfara)
The party will also field 12 first-time governorship candidates.
Some of them include Obafemi Hamzat (Lagos), Solomon Adeola (Ogun), Kingsley Chinda (Rivers), Eric Opah (Abia), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Mustapha Gubio (Borno), Jamilu Gwamna (Gombe), Ahmed Wadada (Nasarawa), and Baba Malam Wali (Yobe).
INEC Sets Deadlines for Candidate Submission
INEC fixed the submission of nomination forms for governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates from 9:00 a.m. on July 18 to 6:00 p.m. on August 8, 2026.
The process includes the submission of Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E, as required under Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The commission also announced that:
- Personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates will be published on August 8, 2026.
- Governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates’ particulars will be displayed on August 29, 2026.
Furthermore, parties have until August 22 to withdraw or substitute presidential and National Assembly candidates.
Governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates may be withdrawn or substituted until September 19, 2026.
Off-Cycle States Excluded from Governorship Polls
Governorship elections will not hold in eight states because of their off-cycle election schedules.
The affected states are Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo, and Osun.
Political parties are expected to upload a total of 28 governorship candidates and 993 State Houses of Assembly candidates nationwide.
