Fresh details have emerged indicating that no registered political party, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), met the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) original July 11 deadline for uploading candidates for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.

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According to Vanguard, sources within INEC disclosed that the commission was compelled to extend the deadline to July 14 after political parties failed to complete the submission of candidates on the commission’s dedicated portal. One of the sources claimed that more than 70 per cent of the APC’s candidates had not been uploaded before the initial deadline, adding that INEC had to “bend backwards” by opening its back-end system to accommodate the delayed submissions. The disclosure contradicts the APC’s earlier claim that it had completed the exercise before the July 11 deadline and that the extension was granted solely because opposition parties requested more time.

INEC later confirmed the extension, stating that it followed an appeal by the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on behalf of political parties that were unable to upload candidates’ details within the stipulated period. However, the new revelations suggest the extension also benefited the ruling party. The development comes amid internal disputes within the APC, including protests by aggrieved members in Benue State’s Apa State Constituency, where aspirants accused some party leaders of attempting to impose a candidate instead of conducting a transparent primary election. The protesters urged the party’s national leadership to ensure fairness, warning that any imposition could deepen divisions and weaken the APC ahead of the 2027 general election.