The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the failure of opposition political parties to meet the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deadline for the submission of candidates for the 2027 general elections underscores their lack of preparedness to govern.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the ruling party successfully submitted the names of all its presidential, vice-presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates before the July 11 deadline.
The party noted that INEC subsequently extended the deadline to July 14 after opposition parties requested more time to complete their nomination process.
According to the APC, while the electoral commission acted within its statutory powers in granting the extension, the development exposed the opposition’s inability to effectively manage its internal affairs.
“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,” Morka said.
The ruling party argued that the opposition’s inability to meet the deadline raises concerns about its capacity to govern.
“This development provides yet another clear indication of the opposition’s chronic inherent weakness and raises legitimate questions about their operational capacity. 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 statement added.
The APC also accused opposition parties of hypocrisy, saying those who had repeatedly alleged that the ruling party controls INEC were the same parties that sought an extension from the electoral umpire after missing the deadline.
“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. Yet, as they failed to meet the submission deadline, they shamelessly turned to the same INEC for respite, and were granted an extension.”
Morka further said the APC, having complied with the original deadline, did not interfere with INEC’s decision, insisting that the development exposed what he described as the opposition’s “hypocrisy” and penchant for “fake news and blackmail.”
“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 opposition’s hypocrisy, and true character as peddlers of fake news and merchants of blackmail,” he said.
The ruling party maintained that meeting the deadline reflected its organisational discipline and commitment to due process.
“With the successful upload of particulars of all its Presidential, Vice Presidential, Senate, and House of Representatives candidates on the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal, APC has, again, demonstrated its leadership and superior organisational capacity, discipline, and solid commitment to due process,” Morka stated.
The APC called on its leaders, stakeholders and supporters to shift attention to preparations for the 2027 general elections by strengthening party structures, deepening grassroots mobilisation and promoting the achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“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,” the statement said.