The All Progressives Congress has concluded the electronic submission of its candidates for the 2027 general elections, completing the exercise ahead of the deadline originally set by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
National Chairman of the party, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, announced the development on Sunday, describing it as a reflection of the APC’s organisational capacity and readiness for the forthcoming elections.
The announcement came amid efforts by political parties across the country to complete the electronic submission of their candidates through INEC’s designated online platform.
INEC had initially set August 8, 2026, as the deadline for the exercise but subsequently granted political parties an additional three days, moving the closing date to Tuesday, August 11, following appeals from parties that were still finalising their submissions.
According to Yilwatda, the APC completed the process before the original deadline, submitting candidates for all elective positions, ranging from the State Houses of Assembly to the presidential contest.
He said the feat demonstrated that the party had developed the structures and internal systems necessary to coordinate 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.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, the APC chairman said the completion of the exercise represented an important test of the party’s ability to coordinate its various structures, candidates and officials nationwide.
He explained that the process involved the nomination, documentation, verification and electronic submission of thousands of candidates across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Yilwatda said the exercise 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 noted that completing the exercise required sustained coordination among the party’s national secretariat, state chapters, candidates and election management teams.
The APC chairman also linked the party’s early completion of the process to the broader question of preparedness among political organisations seeking the mandate of Nigerians.
“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 added.
Yilwatda urged Nigerians to assess political parties on more than campaign promises as the country approaches the 2027 elections.
He said voters should also consider factors such as internal organisation, adherence to electoral regulations and the capacity of political parties to effectively manage their people and resources.
According to him, completing the candidate-upload exercise ahead of schedule was therefore more than an administrative milestone, as it demonstrated the APC’s preparedness for the electoral battle ahead.
The development, he added, would allow the party to devote more attention to other areas of its preparations, including campaign coordination, engagement with candidates, 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 general elections are expected to generate intense competition, with opposition parties positioning themselves to challenge the APC at the presidential, legislative and state levels.
The submission of candidates represents one of the early statutory stages in the electoral process. Political parties are required to transmit details of their candidates to INEC within the period stipulated in the commission’s electoral timetable after completing their respective nomination exercises.
With INEC’s extension of the deadline to August 11, parties that had yet to complete their submissions were given additional time to finalise the process.
For the APC, however, Yilwatda said attention would now shift to the next phase of preparations as the party seeks to strengthen its structures and consolidate its position ahead of the elections.
He commended members of the National Working Committee, state party leaders, candidates, election management teams and other officials who contributed to the successful completion of the exercise.
Yilwatda described the accomplishment as a collective effort and pledged that the party would continue to strengthen its structures ahead of the 2027 contest.
He said the APC would also continue to prepare Nigerians for what he described as a choice based on “competence, continuity, stability and national development” in the next general election.
(Ripples)