2027 candidates: Saturday deadline puts parties under pressure

With the July 11, 2026 deadline for the submission of presidential nomination forms to the Independent National Electoral Commission fast approaching, political parties are running against time to beat the closing date.

The commission fixed 6pm on July 11 as the deadline for political parties to submit the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online nomination portal.

The exercise, which commenced on June 27, covers the submission of Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E in line with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

The commission also scheduled the submission of nomination forms for governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates to begin at 9:00 a.m. on July 18 and close at 6:00 p.m. on August 8, 2026.

According to the timetable, the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates will be published on August 1, while those of governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates will be published on August 29.

Ahead of the elections, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, unveiled former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.

Similarly, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, announced a former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as his running mate.

However, President Bola Tinubu, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, is yet to formally name his running mate for the election, though there are speculations that he has settled for Vice President Kashim Shettima.

If Tinubu eventually names Shettima as his running mate, the development will settle political speculation over the APC’s presidential ticket and reaffirm the party’s decision to retain its 2023 ticket for the 2027 election.

Last year, The PUNCH had exclusively reported that there were indications that Tinubu and Shettima’s political alliance was under strain, amid reports that moves were being considered to drop the Vice President as Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 election.

A meeting of APC North-East stakeholders in Gombe State ended in chaos, as supporters of the Vice President allegedly attacked the then party’s Zonal Vice Chairman, Mustapha Salihu.

The meeting, held at the International Conference Centre in Gombe, was initially convened to reaffirm support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition, but conspicuously made no reference to Shettima.

Tinubu secured the APC presidential ticket for the 2027 election following the nationwide primaries held on Saturday, May 23, 2026.

He officially received his Certificate of Return and the party’s flag the following day, Sunday, May 24, 2026, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.