INEC Extends Nomination Deadline for State Elections, Pledges Improvements for 2027

INEC Extends Nomination Deadline

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for the submission of candidate lists for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections to August 11. The extension, announced by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information/Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, follows growing appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the process.

The submission window, originally scheduled to close on Saturday, August 8, has been moved to Tuesday, August 11, according to Haruna. The revised timetable allows parties more time to upload nominations onto the commission's dedicated portal.

PVC Collection and Replacement

In a related development, INEC notified voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged, or defaced permanent voter cards (PVCs) that the window to print downloadable copies of their cards would expire by midnight of August 9. This, according to Haruna, is to allow the commission to compile data on downloaded PVCs for final statistics ahead of the August 15 Osun governorship election.

The commission also outlined the PVC collection schedule in Osun State, which began at the registration area (RA) level from July 22 to July 28. Due to complaints of large crowds and difficulties encountered by voters, the commission extended RA-level collection to July 31, before moving to local government area (LGA) level from August 1 to August 7.

Replacement of downloadable PVCs has been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central local government areas, whose cards were carted away by hoodlums who invaded the two centres. INEC reiterated that stolen cards cannot be used to vote.

INEC's Commitment to Improved Elections

Following the conduct of the Osun governorship election, INEC has pledged to improve its performance in the 2027 general elections. The assurance was given by Mohammed Haruna when he received a delegation comprising political parties, civil society organisations, community leaders, youth groups, women leaders and other democratic stakeholders at the commission's headquarters in Abuja.

The delegation visited to commend INEC's Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, and the commission for the conduct of the August 15 Osun election. Haruna, who represented the commission, said INEC remained committed to conducting free, fair and credible elections. "We are committed to conducting free, fair and credible elections. As you agree with me, all the past elections we've had, each one has always been better than the one before," he said.

He assured the delegation that the commission would build on the Osun experience ahead of the 2027 general elections, adding that the next general election would see an improvement on Osun.

The delegation's leader, Obed Agu, said the visit was not a protest but an appreciation of INEC's conduct of the Osun election, which he said had renewed confidence in the electoral process. The group said it had reviewed pre-election preparations, election-day conduct, security arrangements, results management and stakeholder engagement during a two-day national post-election discourse convened by the African Centre for Justice and Human Rights.

Agu noted that the election recorded more than 40 per cent voter turnout and that results were uploaded in real time, allowing Nigerians to follow the process. He said the commendation was not because an opposition party won the election, arguing that INEC would have received similar praise if the ruling party had won under free, fair and credible conditions.

The group urged INEC to ensure equal treatment of voters and political parties, while maintaining its independence and transparency. It also acknowledged the role of President Bola Tinubu and security agencies in creating an environment that enabled the Osun election to take place without undue interference.