INEC Extends Deadline for 2027 Governorship, Assembly Candidates’ Lists

By Harriet Tornguvan 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the lists of their candidates for the 2027 Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.

The Commission said the submission window, which was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, August 8, 2026, has now been extended to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.

National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, disclosed this in a statement, saying the extension followed appeals from political parties for additional time to complete the submission process.

According to him, the affected parties are expected to upload their candidates’ lists on the dedicated INEC portal within the extended period.

In a related development, INEC announced the suspension of the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Osun State ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election.

The Commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced PVCs have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, 2026, to download printable copies of their cards.

It explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and establish the final statistics of cards collected ahead of the election.

INEC recalled that PVC collection in Osun State commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties encountered by voters at collection centres.

Collection subsequently moved to the Local Government Area level from August 1 to 7, 2026.

The Commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the invasion of two collection centres by hoodlums who carted away some voter cards.

INEC, however, clarified that the stolen PVCs cannot be used to vote.

The electoral umpire reassured the people of Osun State of its preparedness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on August 15, 2026.