APC Confirms Upload of 471 Candidates to INEC Portal, Retains Tinubu-Shettima Ticket

The All Progressives Congress has confirmed that it has successfully submitted the details of all its candidates for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections through the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Candidate Nomination Portal, officially retaining President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima as its presidential ticket.

The ruling party said the upload covered a total of 471 candidates, including its presidential and vice-presidential nominees, 109 candidates for the Senate and 360 House of Representatives aspirants, completing the nomination process for all elective offices currently open on the INEC portal.

The announcement was made on Sunday by the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, who described the exercise as a significant milestone for the party ahead of the 2027 general election.

In a statement, Yilwatda congratulated party members and candidates on the successful completion of the nomination process.

He said, “I congratulate our candidates, leaders, and members of APC on the successful 100% upload of our Presidential, Vice Presidential, Senate, and House of Representatives candidates on the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP).”

Looking ahead to the next phase of the election cycle, the APC chairman added, “With this milestone achieved, our focus now shifts to mobilisation and preparations for a successful campaign and decisive victory at the polls.”

The successful submission formally confirms Vice President Shettima as President Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election, putting to rest months of speculation over whether the party would field a different vice-presidential candidate.

The development follows the completion of the party’s nomination process ahead of the deadline set by the electoral commission for political parties to upload the particulars of their presidential and National Assembly candidates.

Under INEC’s timetable for the 2027 general election, political parties were granted access to the Candidate Nomination Portal from June 26, while the submission of Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E commenced on June 27 in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

Although the commission had initially fixed 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, as the deadline for submissions, it subsequently extended the closing date to midnight on Tuesday, July 14, following requests from political parties seeking additional time to complete the process.

With the upload completed, the APC now turns its attention to nationwide mobilisation and preparations for the official campaign season ahead of the 2027 general election.