The All Progressives Congress has concluded the electronic submission of its candidates for all elective positions in the 2027 general elections on the Independent National Electoral Commission portal, beating the commission’s initial deadline.
APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, disclosed this at the weekend following the completion of the exercise, describing the development as evidence of the party’s organisational strength and readiness for the 2027 polls.
According to Yilwatda, the submission exercise covered candidates contesting every elective position, ranging from the State Houses of Assembly to the presidential election.
He explained that although the APC met the original deadline, some political parties approached INEC seeking more time to complete the uploading of their candidates.
Consequently, INEC moved the deadline from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026, following the requests from the affected parties.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, the APC chairman said the party’s ability to conclude the process early was a product of deliberate planning, effective coordination and timely execution.
He explained that the process entailed the nomination, documentation, verification and electronic submission of thousands of candidates across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The APC has once again demonstrated that we are prepared for the responsibility of governing Nigeria. We did not wait until the last minute. We planned ahead, coordinated our structures and ensured that our candidates were successfully uploaded before the expiration of the original deadline,” he said.
Yilwatda maintained that the early completion of the exercise was particularly important considering the extensive nature of the 2027 elections and the importance of organisational preparedness among political parties.
He said achieving the feat required close collaboration among the party’s national secretariat, state chapters, candidates and other relevant structures.
The APC chairman urged Nigerians to take into consideration the organisational strength of political parties as they assess candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said political parties aspiring to secure the mandate to govern Nigeria should be assessed beyond their campaign pledges, stressing that their internal structures, level of preparedness and capacity to meet electoral obligations were equally important.
“Governance is not an experiment. The management of a country as complex as Nigeria requires planning, coordination, discipline, competence and the ability to deliver within deadlines,” he said.
Yilwatda said the successful early submission would enable the APC to devote greater attention to other areas of its 2027 election strategy, including campaign coordination, candidate engagement, voter mobilisation, grassroots organisation, policy communication and reconciliation.
He praised members of the APC National Working Committee, state party leaders, candidates, election management teams and other officials who contributed to the successful completion of the exercise.
“The work has only begun. Completing the upload ahead of schedule gives us confidence, but it also places a greater responsibility on us. We must remain united, disciplined and focused.”
He added that the party would sustain its preparations for the 2027 elections, with particular attention to competence, continuity, stability and national development.
