The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the inability of opposition political parties to meet the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deadline for the submission of candidates for the 2027 general election is evidence that they are unprepared to govern Nigeria.
The ruling party stated that it successfully uploaded the particulars of all its presidential, vice-presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates before the original July 11 deadline.
INEC had, on Sunday, announced an extension of the deadline for the submission of candidates for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections from July 11 to July 14, following an appeal by the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on behalf of political parties that were unable to complete the upload of their candidates’ details within the stipulated period.
Reacting to the development, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said although INEC acted within its statutory powers in granting the extension, the situation exposed what he described as the opposition’s “chronic inherent weakness.”
According to him, the opposition parties failed to conclude their internal nomination processes despite fielding fewer candidates than the APC.
“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,” Morka said.
The APC also described it as ironic that opposition parties which had repeatedly accused the ruling party of influencing INEC later turned to the same electoral commission for relief after failing to meet 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.
“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 opposition’s hypocrisy and true character as peddlers of fake news and merchants of blackmail,” he said.
The ruling party maintained that meeting the original deadline reflected its organisational strength, 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.
He urged APC leaders, members and supporters across the country to remain focused on grassroots mobilisation while promoting the policies and achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration ahead of the 2027 general election.