The ruling All Progressives Congress has completed the electronic submission of its candidates for all elective positions ahead of the 2027 general elections, beating the deadline initially set by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, disclosed this on Sunday, describing the early completion of the exercise as a demonstration of the party’s organisational strength, coordination and preparedness for the elections.
INEC had initially fixed Saturday, August 8, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to upload their candidates through its online portal. However, the commission extended the deadline by three days to Tuesday, August 11, following appeals from some parties that were yet to complete the process.
Yilwatda said the APC completed its submissions before the original deadline, covering candidates for positions ranging from the State Houses of Assembly to the presidency.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, the APC chairman said the achievement showed that the party had moved beyond political rhetoric to building the structures and systems required to operate a nationwide political organisation.
“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. This is what organisation, discipline and responsible political leadership mean,” Yilwatda said.
He said the exercise was a major test of the party’s ability to coordinate its structures, candidates and officials across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to him, the process involved the nomination, documentation, verification and electronic submission of thousands of candidates.
Yilwatda said the successful completion was particularly significant given the scale of the APC’s nationwide structure, which extends across senatorial districts, federal constituencies, local government areas and wards.
He added that the exercise required close coordination among the party’s national secretariat, state chapters, candidates and election management teams.
The APC chairman also argued that the ability of political parties to meet electoral and administrative requirements should form part of voters’ assessment ahead of the 2027 elections.
“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.
“If a political organisation cannot effectively organise its own internal processes, coordinate its candidates and meet simple statutory and administrative deadlines, Nigerians must ask serious questions about its preparedness to manage the affairs of the nation,” he said.
Yilwatda urged voters to look beyond campaign promises and consider factors such as internal organisation, compliance with electoral rules and the ability to effectively manage people and resources.
He said the APC’s early completion of the candidate-upload process should therefore be seen not merely as an administrative achievement but also as an indication of its readiness for the electoral contest.
According to him, completing the process ahead of schedule would allow the party to devote more time to other aspects of its preparations, including campaign coordination, candidate engagement, grassroots mobilisation, policy communication and reconciliation within its structures.
“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.
“We must take our message of Renewed Hope to every community and demonstrate to Nigerians that the APC is not only prepared to contest elections; we are prepared to continue providing responsible leadership for Nigeria,” he added.
The 2027 elections are expected to be keenly contested, with opposition parties seeking to unseat the APC at the presidential level and make gains at federal and state levels.
The submission of candidates is one of the early statutory stages in the electoral process, with parties required to provide candidate details to INEC within the period prescribed by the commission’s timetable after completing their internal nomination processes.
While the extension to August 11 gives other political parties additional time to conclude their outstanding submissions, Yilwatda said the APC had already moved on to the next phase of its preparations.
He commended members of the National Working Committee, state party leadership, candidates, election management teams and other officials involved in completing the exercise, describing it as a collective effort.
Yilwatda said the party would continue to strengthen its structures ahead of the 2027 elections and present what he described as a choice based on “competence, continuity, stability and national development.”
