The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the inability of opposition political parties to meet the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) deadline for the submission of candidates for the 2027 general election exposes what it described as their lack of preparedness to govern Nigeria.
The ruling party said it successfully uploaded the particulars of all its presidential, vice presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates before INEC’s July 11 deadline, despite fielding more candidates than any other political party.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the APC said the electoral commission’s decision to extend the deadline to July 14 came only after opposition parties failed to complete their internal nomination processes within the stipulated timeframe.
According to the party, while INEC acted within its statutory powers in granting the extension, the development highlighted what it described as the opposition’s organisational weakness.
“The extension was necessitated by the stark failure of opposition parties to manage their internal processes to comply with INEC’s submission deadline despite having fewer candidates to manage compared to the APC,” the statement said.
The APC argued that parties unable to efficiently conclude their own internal affairs could not convince Nigerians that they possess the competence, discipline and organisational capacity required to govern the country or its subnational governments.
The ruling party also accused opposition parties of hypocrisy, noting that they had repeatedly alleged that the APC controlled INEC but still sought relief from the electoral commission after failing to meet the deadline.
“It is ironic that the same opposition parties that have repeatedly peddled false and malicious claims that the APC controls INEC turned to the same commission for an extension after failing to meet the deadline,” the party stated.
According to the APC, the party had no reason to interfere with INEC’s decision, having already completed its submissions within the original deadline.
The party said its compliance demonstrated leadership, discipline, organisational efficiency and commitment to due process.
The APC urged its members and supporters to shift focus to preparations for the 2027 elections by strengthening party structures nationwide, intensifying grassroots mobilisation and promoting the achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
It also called for an issue-based campaign ahead of the polls, expressing confidence of securing another electoral victory in 2027.
