APC mocks opposition over failure to meet 2027 election submission deadline
By Precious Mark
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has mocked opposition political parties over their inability to meet the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) original deadline for uploading candidate lists for the 2027 general elections.
The ruling party stated that the development exposed a chronic, inherent weakness and operational incapacity within the ranks of the opposition, questioning their readiness to provide alternative governance for the country.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, disclosed this in a strongly worded statement released on Sunday.
Morka’s reaction followed INEC’s decision to extend the deadline for the submission of Presidential and National Assembly candidate lists from Saturday, July 11, to midnight on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, after an appeal by the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
According to the ruling party, it successfully completed the upload of all its presidential, vice-presidential, senatorial, and House of Representatives candidates on the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal ahead of the initial July 11 timeline, despite managing a significantly larger volume of contestants than any opposition platform.
The APC scribe stated that while the electoral umpire acted within its administrative discretion in granting the extension, the shift was entirely necessitated by the logistical failure of the opposition.
“While INEC acted within its statutory powers and administrative discretion in extending the deadline for opposition parties to upload names of their candidates, it is noteworthy that 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,” Morka stated.
The ruling party noted that the failure of opposition structures to satisfy basic statutory guidelines reflects a lack of internal discipline and administrative competence.
“This development provides yet another clear indication of the opposition’s chronic inherent weakness and raises legitimate questions about their operational capacity,” Morka argued.
“Political parties that cannot efficiently conclude their own internal nomination processes cannot possibly be trusted by Nigerians to possess the competence, discipline, or readiness to govern our great nation or its subnational governments.”
The governing party also criticized the opposition for alleged hypocrisy, recalling previous public assertions where opposition elements accused the ruling party of manipulating the electoral umpire’s decision-making architecture.
“It is starkly ironical that the same opposition parties have repeatedly peddled false, malicious and unfounded tales that the APC controls and dictates INEC’s decisions,” the APC spokesman observed.
“Yet, as they failed to meet the submission deadline, they shamelessly turned to the same INEC for respite, and were granted an extension. And the same APC that would have been the obvious beneficiary if INEC had stood firm on its original deadline, kept its distance, having met the deadline and completed its submission. Again, this underscores the oppositions’ hypocrisy, and true character as peddlers of fake news and merchants of blackmail.”
Morka maintained that by satisfying the nomination requirements seamlessly, the APC has demonstrated a superior organizational capacity and a concrete commitment to due process under the law.
As the political cycle transitions into the next critical phase, the ruling party urged its stakeholders to concentrate their efforts on showcasing the policy impacts of the current administration.
“As we conclude this important phase of the electoral process, we call on all Party leaders, stakeholders, members, and supporters to turn their full attention to the task ahead,” Morka charged. “We must remain focused and continue to strengthen our structures at all levels, increase awareness of the massive achievements under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, deepen grassroots mobilisation, and prepare for a vigorous, issue-based campaign that will earn our great Party a renewed mandate in the 2027 general elections.”