The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to upload the names of their governorship and State House of Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The commission shifted the deadline from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026, following appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process.
Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, who made the disclosure in a statement issued over the weekend, added that the submission window, which was originally scheduled to close on August 8 in line with the revised timetable and schedule of activities for the general election, would now remain open until August 11.
He said the extension was granted in response to appeals from political parties seeking more time to conclude the upload of their candidates.
In a related development, INEC announced the suspension of the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced PVCs had until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
Haruna explained that the deadline was necessary to enable the commission to compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of collected voter cards ahead of the election.
INEC also disclosed that downloadable replacement PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas whose cards were reportedly carted away by hoodlums during an invasion of two collection centres.
The commission, however, clarified that the stolen physical PVCs could not be used to vote.
The commission recalled that PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level on July 22 and was initially scheduled to end on July 28.
According to Haruna, the commission extended the exercise to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties encountered by voters at collection centres.
The collection subsequently moved to the local government level from August 1 to August 7.
INEC reiterated its commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election in Osun State on August 15. Authority.
