The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is working to finalize the upload of candidate nomination details to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP) ahead of the August 8 deadline, while simultaneously managing internal reconciliation efforts ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Digital Upload Progress and Screening
The party’s ICT department has successfully processed and uploaded nomination records for at least 13 governorship candidates since the submission window opened on July 18. Among those cleared are:
- Dr. Obafemi Hamzat (Lagos State)
- Senator Solomon (Ogun State)
- Rt. Hon. Umar Mohammed Bago (Niger State)
- Sen. Ahmed Aliyu Wadada (Nasarawa State)
- Rt. Hon. Yakubu Salihu Danladi (Kwara State)
- Rev. Father Hyacinth Iormem Alia (Benue State)
- Ahmed Galadima (Adamawa State)
- Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau State)
A special screening committee led by Hon. Jibrin Bancir is tasked with verifying all documentation before clearing files for digital scanning. Party officials anticipate uploading the complete set of 28 governorship candidates and their running mates before the statutory deadline closes automatically at 6:00 p.m. on August 8, in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act.
Technical Hurdles for Legislative Candidates
Despite progress at the governorship level, the APC—alongside other political parties—has been unable to upload details for its 990 State Houses of Assembly candidates across the country’s 36 states. Party representatives attribute this backlog to persistent technical hitches and server instability on the INEC sub-national legislative portal. While technical teams continue to scan and compile the documentation offline, final submissions remain dependent on the electoral commission resolving the portal errors.
Political Consolidation in Oyo State
Concurrently, President Bola Tinubu is addressing internal party friction, notably holding discussions at the Presidential Villa with former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin to bridge divides in Oyo State. The state chapter recently endorsed Sharafadeen Alli as its consensus governorship flagbearer alongside running mate Adesoji Adedeji. However, the decision faced pushback from aggrieved aspirants and the ‘G5’ coalition, prompting national intervention to solidify party unity against the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
