APC Beats INEC Deadline, Submits Tinubu, Shettima, 469 NASS Candidates for 2027

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has completed the submission of its presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general election, successfully uploading the details of President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and 469 other nominees to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Candidate Nomination Portal.

The ruling party concluded the exercise before INEC's original deadline of July 11, despite the commission later extending the submission window to July 14 following appeals from political parties.

According to party officials, the upload was completed by 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, covering all 471 APC candidates for the presidential, Senate and House of Representatives elections.

The submission was carried out in line with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires political parties to transmit the names and personal particulars of their candidates through INEC's electronic nomination portal.

Confirming the development, APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, described the successful upload as an important milestone for the party.

"I congratulate our candidates, leaders and members of APC on the successful 100 percent upload of our Presidential, Vice Presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates on the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal," Yilwatda wrote on his verified X account.

He said the completion of the nomination process allows the party to concentrate on preparations for the election.

"With this milestone achieved, our focus now shifts to mobilisation and preparations for a successful campaign and a decisive victory at the polls," he added.

Party sources disclosed that an internal task force was established to ensure the upload was completed ahead of schedule and to avoid possible technical challenges associated with last-minute submissions.

A senior official familiar with the process said the party deliberately worked towards the initial July 11 deadline despite INEC's subsequent extension.

"We treated the initial July 11 deadline as sacrosanct despite the extension. The portal can be unpredictable when every political party tries to upload simultaneously, so our teams worked around the clock to ensure zero errors in the documentation of our candidates," the official said.

The APC's uploaded list includes President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima, alongside 109 senatorial candidates and 360 House of Representatives candidates.

Among the Senate nominees are Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Abubakar Sani Bello, Mohammed Sani Musa and Senator Sampson Ekang.

The party is also fielding several serving governors for Senate seats, including Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara Central), Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni (Yobe East), Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma (Imo West) and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun (Ogun East).

For the House of Representatives, the list includes Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, James Faleke, Mudashiru Obasa, Olumide Osoba, Akintunde Rotimi, Abubakar Kabir Bichi, Yusuf Buhari, Ndudi Elumelu, Adamu Abubakar and Kaumi Zulum.

INEC had earlier extended the deadline for candidate submissions to July 14 after the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) appealed on behalf of political parties that requested additional time to complete uploads through the commission's online portal. The APC, however, completed its submissions before the original deadline elapsed.