INEC extends candidate submission deadline to August 11

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

Mohammed Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday.

According to Haruna, the submission window, which was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, August 8, 2026, will now remain open until Tuesday, August 11.

He said the decision followed appeals from political parties seeking additional time to complete the candidate submission process through the commission’s dedicated online portal.

INEC also 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, to download printable copies of their cards.

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Haruna explained that the deadline would enable INEC to compile data on downloaded PVCs and determine the final statistics of registered voters who collected their cards ahead of the election.

PVC collection in Osun began at the Registration Area level on July 22 and was initially scheduled to end on July 28. However, following complaints about large crowds and difficulties at collection centres, INEC extended the exercise to July 31.

The collection subsequently moved to the Local Government Area level from August 1 to August 7.

The commission said replacement downloadable PVCs had also been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas whose cards were reportedly carted away when hoodlums invaded the collection centres.

INEC stressed that the stolen PVCs cannot be used to vote.

The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election in Osun State on August 15, 2026.