PDP and APC begin uploading governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates to INEC portal

Umar Bature, the PDP National Organising Secretary, confirmed that the party began this process on Saturday, July 19, 2026, and expects to complete it before the August 8, 2026 deadline. An anonymous senior APC official also stated that the APC commenced uploading candidates, prioritizing 16 incumbent governors seeking re-election. The APC official added that a committee led by Jibrin Bancir, Principal Private Secretary to the APC National Chairman, was established to coordinate the document submission and upload process, ensuring only candidates cleared by the primary election appeal panel and the National Working Committee are uploaded.

INEC's timetable set the submission period for governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates from July 18 to August 8, 2026. The personal particulars for these candidates will be published on August 29, with a deadline of September 19 for withdrawal or substitution. Governorship elections will not be held in Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo, and Osun due to off-cycle election schedules.

Both parties, along with others, are expected to upload a total of 28 governorship candidates and 993 state Houses of Assembly candidates nationwide.