The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticised opposition political parties over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) decision to extend the deadline for the submission of candidates for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections, describing the move as evidence of the opposition’s “chronic weakness” and lack of capacity to govern.
The party said opposition parties failed to complete their internal nomination processes before the original 11 July deadline despite having fewer candidates than the APC.
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INEC had on Saturday extended the deadline for political parties to upload the names and personal particulars of their candidates from 11 July to 14 July 2026.
Explaining the decision, the electoral commission said the extension followed a request by political parties.
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“The decision to extend was based on an appeal by the Inter-Party Advisory Council, on behalf of political parties who were unable to upload the names and personal particulars of their candidates within the scheduled timeline,” INEC said in a statement.
Reacting on Sunday, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said although the electoral commission acted within its statutory powers and administrative discretion, the circumstances that led to the extension exposed the organisational shortcomings of opposition parties.
According to him, the APC successfully uploaded the names and particulars of all its presidential, vice-presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates before the original deadline despite fielding a far larger number of candidates nationwide.
“Our great party satisfied this requirement despite the large number of party candidates contesting on the party’s platform for the various elective offices,” Mr Morka said.
The APC argued that opposition parties, with significantly fewer candidates to process, still failed to meet the deadline, a development it said should worry Nigerians.
“This development provides yet another clear indication of the opposition’s chronic inherent weakness and raises legitimate questions about their operational capacity,” the statement said.
“Political parties that cannot efficiently conclude their own internal nomination processes cannot possibly be trusted by Nigerians to possess the competence, discipline, or readiness to govern our great nation or its subnational governments.”
The ruling party also accused the opposition of hypocrisy, recalling previous allegations that the APC exerts influence over INEC’s decisions.
According to the APC, it was ironic that the same opposition parties that had repeatedly accused the ruling party of controlling the electoral commission eventually sought relief from the commission after failing to meet its deadline.
“It is starkly ironic that the same opposition parties have repeatedly peddled false, malicious and unfounded tales that the APC controls and dictates INEC’s decisions,” Mr Morka said.
“Yet, as they failed to meet the submission deadline, they shamelessly turned to the same INEC for respite, and were granted an extension.”
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The APC noted that it would have been the obvious beneficiary if INEC had insisted on the original deadline because it had already completed its submissions.
The party said the development further exposed what it described as the opposition’s tendency to spread misinformation while lacking the organisational discipline required to manage even its own internal affairs.
Mr Morka said the successful upload of the APC’s candidates demonstrated the party’s superior organisational capacity, discipline and commitment to due process.
He added that with the nomination process concluded, the party would now shift its focus to grassroots mobilisation, strengthening its structures across the country and promoting the achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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