APC and Other Parties Missed INEC’s July 11 Candidate Upload Deadline, Source Says
Fresh details from INEC sources indicate that no political party, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), met the commission’s original July 11 deadline for uploading candidates for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections. The sources, who spoke with Vanguard, said the shortfall affected all registered parties, contrary to claims by the APC and some others that they had completed the upload before the deadline.
According to the sources, as of the July 11 cutoff, more than 70 percent of APC candidates had not been uploaded to INEC’s dedicated portal. No party achieved the target, prompting INEC to extend the deadline to July 14. One source noted that the commission “had to bend backwards” and even opened its back‑end system to accommodate the delayed submissions.
The revelation contradicts an APC statement issued on July 12, in which the party claimed it had successfully submitted its candidates’ names before the original deadline. The APC had hailed the feat as a major administrative achievement, given the large number of contenders on its platform.
INEC later confirmed the extension in a statement by National Commissioner Mohammed Kudu Haruna, saying the revised date followed an appeal from the Inter‑Party Advisory Council on behalf of parties that could not meet the initial timeline.
Reacting to the extension, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka accused opposition parties of mismanaging their internal nomination processes. While acknowledging INEC’s authority to adjust deadlines, Morka argued that the extension was necessary because opposition groups failed to meet the July 11 date despite fielding fewer candidates than the APC.
He added that the situation highlights the opposition’s “chronic inherent weakness” and questions their readiness to govern. The APC also accused opposition parties of hypocrisy, pointing out that they have repeatedly alleged APC control over INEC yet turned to the same body for more time when they missed the deadline.
The controversy emerged amid internal disagreements within the APC over candidate selection in several states. In Benue State, aggrieved members and aspirants from the Apa State Constituency protested at the party’s national secretariat, claiming leaders were attempting to impose a candidate ahead of the primary election.
Protesters, carrying party symbols and singing solidarity songs, demanded a transparent process allowing members to freely choose their preferred candidate. Speaking for the group, party member Godwin O alleged that some aspirants were being denied a level playing field and that a “same‑day ticket” was being planned for a favored aspirant instead of holding a proper primary.
The demonstrators warned that imposing a candidate could deepen divisions, alienate grassroots supporters, and weaken the party’s electoral prospects. They also criticized party leader Sonny Echono for limited grassroots involvement and urged the APC National Chairman and the National Working Committee to intervene, protect the party’s structure, and ensure fair treatment for all aspirants.
The protesters maintained that candidates should emerge based on loyalty, service, and acceptance among members, not through imposition. They insisted that only a free, fair, and transparent primary election would uphold justice for aspirants and preserve APC unity in the constituency.
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