With the Independent National Electoral Commission’s July 11, 2026, deadline for the submission of presidential nomination forms fast approaching, President Bola Tinubu has yet to formally name his running mate for the 2027 general elections.
This has left the All Progressives Congress in a race against time to complete its uploads on the commission’s online portal, even as other major political parties have already announced and submitted their presidential tickets.
The electoral umpire fixed 6pm on July 11 as the deadline for political parties to submit the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates, with the exercise having commenced on June 27.
While President Tinubu secured the APC presidential ticket following the nationwide primaries held on May 23, 2026, winning by a landslide with nearly 11 million votes, his choice of running mate is being closely watched, and highly placed party sources have disclosed that the APC has submitted the Senate nomination forms of Governors AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, Hope Uzodimma of Imo, and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun to INEC’s portal.
A senior member of the party’s official confirmed that the process of uploading candidates’ details is at an advanced stage, with the particulars of President Tinubu and his running mate expected to be submitted before the middle of the week, expressing confidence that the party would meet the July 11 deadline.
In contrast, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress has unveiled former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate, while Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress announced former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso as his running mate, leaving only Tinubu and Sandy Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party yet to announce their respective running mates among the major candidates.
However, according to INEC’s timetable, August 22 has been set for the withdrawal and replacement of presidential and National Assembly candidates, meaning the APC may submit Tinubu’s name alongside a placeholder running mate who could later be replaced with the substantive nominee, a tactical strategy previously employed by Tinubu ahead of the 2023 election when he submitted Ibrahim Masari as a placeholder vice-presidential candidate to meet strict nomination deadlines while continuing consultations.
Masari formally stepped down in July 2022, paving the way for Tinubu to name Vice President Kashim Shettima as his substantive running mate, and if Tinubu eventually names Shettima again, 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.
Meanwhile, INEC National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Mohammed Haruna, has cautioned political parties against waiting until the last minute before completing and submitting their nomination forms online.
He noted that the commission has been generous by extending the deadline and that if any political party decides to wait until the deadline, INEC cannot be blamed for that, as the commission has disclosed that nine registered political parties have collected access codes to upload their candidates’ particulars for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.
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