Focus shifts to states as INEC opens gov’ship, assemblies portal tomorrow
With the closure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates, attention has shifted to the next critical phase of preparations for the 2027 general elections—the nomination of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates. INEC has fixed July 18 to August 8, 2026, for political […]
With the closure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates, attention has shifted to the next critical phase of preparations for the 2027 general elections—the nomination of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates.
INEC has fixed July 18 to August 8, 2026, for political parties to upload the names of their governorship and state assembly candidates following the conclusion of their primaries.
The exercise comes barely days after political parties concluded the submission of candidates for the presidential and National Assembly elections, a process that exposed internal weaknesses within several parties. Some were unable to meet the original deadline, prompting INEC to grant an extension.
The commission had initially scheduled June 27 to July 11 for parties to submit the names of their presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates. However, following appeals by political parties through the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), the deadline was extended to 11:59 pm on Tuesday, July 14.
Although political parties have conducted primaries for the presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, Daily Trust observed that while some concluded the process smoothly, others were plagued by prolonged primaries, litigation, leadership disputes and disagreements over consensus arrangements.
Political observers predict that the submission of governorship candidates may prove even more contentious, as many states remain deeply divided following controversial primary elections.
In Kano State, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been engulfed in a leadership crisis after two governorship aspirants – Ibrahim Khalil and Ibrahim Ali-Amin (Al’amin Little) – laid claim to the party’s ticket, while other aspirants insisted that no valid primary election was conducted.
Also in Kano, governorship aspirant Mukhtar Muhammad and other aspirants of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) approached the Federal High Court, seeking to nullify the party’s primaries and restrain INEC from recognising the candidates.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State also witnessed internal cracks during its primaries after consensus arrangements reportedly collapsed, prompting senatorial aspirant Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi to challenge the process in court.
Although the APC in Kwara State eventually resolved its governorship primary after postponing the exercise, disagreements among aspirants exposed underlying tensions within the party before a consensus eventually emerged.
Similarly, in Benue State, some APC aspirants protested what they described as the imposition of candidates and called on the party’s national leadership to intervene. In Bauchi State, the APC postponed and later rescheduled its governorship primary following disagreements over the process.
Political analysts say these unresolved disputes could complicate the submission of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates, particularly where court cases are pending or rival factions continue to lay claim to party tickets.
They argue that governorship contests are often more fiercely contested than legislative elections because they determine control of state structures, making consensus arrangements more difficult to achieve.
Unless political parties quickly reconcile aggrieved members, the next phase of candidate nominations could witness heightened instability and renewed calls for an extension of the deadline.
The process may also test INEC’s resolve in enforcing its timetable after the commission granted an extension for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates.
Although political parties welcomed the earlier extension, there has been no indication from the electoral umpire that a similar concession will be granted for governorship and State Houses of Assembly nominations.
Concerns therefore remain over whether parties grappling with unresolved disputes will be able to meet the August 8 deadline without another round of appeals for an extension.
For INEC, the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether political parties can comply with the electoral timetable while managing the internal crises that have trailed their primary elections.
Attention will now focus on whether the parties can avoid the controversies that characterised the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates or whether another last-minute scramble to beat the deadline will unfold.