APC, PDP, Labour Party Begin Candidate Upload Ahead of INEC Deadline
Nigeria’s major political parties have commenced the process of uploading the names and particulars of their governorship and State House of Assembly candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Candidate Nomination Portal ahead of the August 8, 2026 deadline.
The All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party expressed confidence that they would complete the exercise within the period stipulated by the electoral commission.
The nomination window, which opened on July 18, requires political parties to submit the names of their governorship candidates, running mates and State House of Assembly nominees through INEC’s online portal.
At the APC national headquarters in Abuja, the party’s Information and Communications Technology department reportedly began processing candidates’ documents as part of efforts to avoid a last-minute rush.
The exercise covers 28 APC governorship candidates and 993 State House of Assembly nominees across the country.
Several governors seeking second terms are expected to receive priority during the submission process. They include Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Hyacinth Alia of Benue, Uba Sani of Kaduna, Abba Yusuf of Kano, Dikko Radda of Katsina and Nasir Idris of Kebbi.
Others include Umaru Bago of Niger, Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto, Agbu Kefas of Taraba and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara.
The party is also expected to upload the details of several first-time governorship candidates, including Obafemi Hamzat in Lagos, Solomon Adeola in Ogun, Ogundu Kingsley Chinda in Rivers, Eric Opah in Abia and Mohammed Abubakar in Bauchi.
To coordinate the process, the APC constituted a vetting committee responsible for collecting and verifying nomination documents submitted by state chairmen before forwarding them to the party’s ICT unit.
The PDP also confirmed that it had received its portal access codes and begun uploading the particulars of its candidates.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, said sufficient personnel had been deployed to ensure the governorship and state legislative candidates were uploaded successfully before the deadline.
The Labour Party, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, similarly said it was prepared to comply with INEC’s nomination guidelines.
A party official said the Labour Party had received its access codes and would complete the process within the approved timeframe.
Political parties are required to carefully verify all information submitted through the portal because errors, omissions or failure to meet the deadline could affect the eligibility of their candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The upload process is expected to close on August 8, after which INEC will proceed with the verification and publication of candidates’ personal particulars in accordance with the electoral timetable.
