The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has extended the deadline for political parties to submit their lists of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from August 8 to August 11, 2026.
INEC said the extension followed appeals from political parties for more time to complete the submission process through its dedicated online portal.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to the electoral body, the submission window, which was initially scheduled to close on Saturday, August 8, in line with the revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general election, will now close on Tuesday, August 11.
“The submission window which was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
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In a related development, INEC announced the suspension of the collection of Permanent Voter Cards in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced PVCs would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
INEC explained that the deadline would enable it to compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level on July 22 and was initially scheduled to end on July 28. However, the exercise was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres. The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level, where it ran from August 1 to 7.
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 theft of cards during attacks on two collection centres. It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
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