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By Gabriel Ameh
ABUJA — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the names of their candidates for the 2027 Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
The Commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday, August 8, 2026, and signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee.
According to INEC, the deadline, which was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, August 8, has now been extended to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The Commission said the decision followed appeals from political parties seeking additional time to complete the submission and upload of their candidates’ details on the dedicated online portal.
INEC said the extension was granted to ensure that all political parties were given equal opportunity to complete the process.
INEC Suspends PVC Collection in Osun
In a related development, INEC has announced the end of the collection process for Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election.
The Commission said voters in Osun State who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced PVCs have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
INEC explained that the deadline would enable it to compile the data of downloaded PVCs and determine the final statistics ahead of the election.
The Commission recalled that PVC collection at the Registration Area level commenced on July 22 and was initially scheduled to end on July 28.
Following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres, INEC extended the Registration Area-level collection to July 31.
The exercise subsequently moved to the Local Government Area level and ran from August 1 to August 7.
INEC also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas, following the reported theft of cards during an invasion of two collection centres by hoodlums.
The Commission stressed that the stolen PVCs cannot be used to vote.
INEC urged Osun voters to remain assured of its preparedness to conduct what it described as a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on August 15, 2026.
