Candidates upload: APC, PDP, ADC, others didn’t meet July 11 INEC deadline —Source
Internal Discord Surfaces Amid APC’s Candidate Nomination Process
By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA, Nigeria — The All Progressives Congress (APC) is facing internal challenges as it navigates the aftermath of its candidate nomination process, coinciding with issues related to the recent deadlines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Multiple sources within INEC have confirmed that no political party, including the APC, submitted its list of candidates by the initial July 11 deadline for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections. This revelation contradicts the APC’s claims of compliance, which the party touted as an achievement despite the large number of candidates vying for various offices under its banner.
As of the July 11 cutoff, sources indicated that over 70% of APC candidates had yet to be uploaded in the INEC system. According to an insider, “The commission had to bend backwards to accommodate them. In fact, the commission opened its back-end to facilitate this process.”
On July 12, the APC announced that it had successfully met the submission deadline. The party noted that INEC had extended the deadline to July 14 at the request of opposition political parties that were unable to meet the original timeline.
INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, confirmed in a recent statement that the deadline had been revised following an appeal from the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on behalf of parties struggling to meet the submission requirements.
While the APC’s spokesman, Felix Morka, acknowledged INEC’s authority in extending the deadline, he emphasized that the extension was primarily due to opposition parties’ management failures. He criticized their ability to conduct internal processes compared to the APC, suggesting that this shortcoming raises questions about their capacity to govern.
In a turn of irony, the APC pointed out that opposition parties that have accused it of influencing INEC decisions were the same ones appealing for deadline extensions.
Despite these developments, the APC is now contending with protests from party members in Benue State, where stakeholders have expressed dissatisfaction with the alleged imposition of a candidate ahead of the primaries. Protesters gathered at the APC national secretariat to voice their grievances, demanding a transparent and fair primary process that would allow genuine aspirants to compete.
One protester, identified only as Godwin O., claimed that party leaders were undermining fair competition by favoring a specific candidate. He warned that such actions could fracture party unity and jeopardize the APC’s electoral prospects.
The demonstrators called on the national leadership, including APC Chairman and the National Working Committee (NWC), to address these internal rifts, emphasizing the need for grassroots involvement in candidate selection. They argued that only a fair primary election could ensure justice for all aspirants and maintain the APC’s unity as it prepares for future elections.
As of press time, the APC leadership had not formally responded to the protesters’ allegations, and the specific claims remain unverified.
