The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has set July 11, 2026 as deadline for parties to submit their presidential and National Assembly candidates’ nomination forms.
This has triggered a flurry of activities within the parties as they struggle to beat the deadline.
Specifically, the commission fixed 6pm on July 11 as the deadline for the political parties to submit the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online nomination portal.
The parties are to submit Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E in line with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, before the deadline.
Also, the commission scheduled the submission of nomination forms for governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates to begin at 9:00 a.m. on July 18 and close at 6:00 p.m. on August 8, 2026.
The Punch reports that according to the timetable, the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates will be published on August 1, while those of governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates will be published on August 29.
Ahead of the elections, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, unveiled former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.
Similarly, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, announced a former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as his running mate.
However, President Bola Tinubu, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, is yet to formally name his running mate for the election, though there are speculations that he has settled for Vice President Kashim Shettima.
If Tinubu eventually names Shettima as his running mate, the development will settle political speculation over the APC’s presidential ticket and reaffirm the party’s decision to retain its 2023 ticket for the 2027 election.
Last year, the paper had exclusively reported that there were indications that Tinubu and Shettima’s political alliance was under strain, amid reports that moves were being considered to drop the Vice President as Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 election.
A meeting of APC North-East stakeholders in Gombe State ended in chaos, as supporters of the Vice President allegedly attacked the then party’s Zonal Vice Chairman, Mustapha Salihu.
The meeting, held at the International Conference Centre in Gombe, was initially convened to reaffirm support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition, but conspicuously made no reference to Shettima.
Tinubu secured the APC presidential ticket for the 2027 election following the nationwide primaries held on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
He officially received his Certificate of Return and the party’s flag the following day, Sunday, May 24, 2026, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The President won the ticket by a landslide, securing nearly 11 million votes to defeat his sole challenger, Stanley Osifo.
He has, however, yet to announce his running mate, as his choice is being closely watched.
The APC has, however, maintained that the decision rests with the President.
Of the major presidential candidates, only Tinubu and Sandy Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party are yet to announce their respective running mates.
Highly placed party sources, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly, also disclosed that the APC had submitted the Senate nomination forms of Governors AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe) and Hope Uzodimma (Imo) to INEC’s portal.
Placeholder possibility
While details of all presidential candidates and their running mates are expected to be submitted to INEC on or before July 11, the commission’s timetable also provides August 22 for the withdrawal and replacement of presidential and National Assembly candidates.
Similarly, candidates for governorship and state Houses of Assembly have until September 19 for withdrawal and substitution.
Accordingly, the APC may submit Tinubu’s name and forms alongside a placeholder running mate, who can later be replaced with the substantive nominee before the August 22 deadline.
