The Independent National Electoral Commission has pushed back the deadline for political parties to submit their candidate lists for the upcoming 2027 governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections. Political parties now have until Tuesday, August 11, 2026, to finalize their nominations, a shift from the initial cutoff of Saturday, August 8.
The electoral umpire agreed to the three-day grace period following intense appeals from various political parties. Many of these organizations had raised concerns over the tight timeframe, reporting difficulties in completing the extensive upload processes on the commission’s dedicated online portal before the original weekend deadline.
According to an official statement obtained and signed by Mohammed Haruna, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, the commission chose to accommodate these challenges to ensure a more inclusive process. The electoral body clarified that this adjustment temporarily alters the previously published Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the general elections, specifically stretching the online submission window to close at the start of the coming week.
Meanwhile, the commission is simultaneously managing local logistics ahead of immediate standalone polls. In a separate but crucial administrative update, officials confirmed that the collection of Permanent Voters Cards has been suspended in Osun State. This pause is part of the standard regulatory shutdown required to prepare the state for its highly anticipated governorship election scheduled for August 15.
