President Bola Tinubu on Friday formally retained Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
This was as political parties made last-minute moves to beat the Independent National Electoral Commission’s deadline for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates.
The ruling All Progressives Congress presented the nomination forms of Tinubu and Shettima to its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, in Abuja for onward transmission to INEC, effectively ending months of speculation that the President could replace his deputy with a northern Christian.
The development came as INEC confirmed that it had received the presidential and vice-presidential nominations of the African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, Peoples Redemption Party and Young Progressives Party.
Meanwhile, several other political parties continued uploading the names of their candidates ahead of the commission’s Saturday midnight deadline.
The electoral commission had fixed July 11, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to upload the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online nomination portal in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The submission exercise, which commenced on June 27, covers Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E for presidential, vice-presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates.
According to the timetable released by the commission, political parties are expected to begin uploading the names of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates from July 18, with the exercise ending on August 8.
INEC is scheduled to publish the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates on August 1, while those of governorship and state assembly candidates will be displayed on August 29 to allow members of the public raise objections where necessary.
The commission also fixed August 22 as the deadline for the withdrawal and substitution of presidential and National Assembly candidates, while governorship and state assembly candidates have until September 19 for withdrawal or replacement in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The July 11 deadline marks one of the most critical stages in the build-up to the 2027 general elections, as only candidates validly nominated by political parties through primaries monitored by INEC are eligible for submission.
The commission had repeatedly warned political parties against submitting the names of candidates different from those who emerged from duly monitored primaries, insisting that any nomination outside the provisions of the Electoral Act and its regulations would be rejected.
Against this backdrop, the APC used Friday’s presentation ceremony to publicly affirm its presidential ticket, signalling that it would head into the 2027 contest without altering the Muslim-Muslim ticket that secured victory in the 2023 presidential election.
Following President Tinubu’s emergence as the APC’s presidential candidate during the party’s convention, political discussions had intensified over whether the President would retain Shettima or opt for another running mate to broaden the party’s electoral appeal.
Those speculations gathered momentum in recent months amid reports that the ruling party was considering a northern Christian as vice-presidential candidate to address concerns over religious balancing.
Friday’s submission, however, ended the uncertainty, with the APC formally presenting Tinubu and Shettima as its flag bearers for the 2027 election.
The nomination documents were presented on behalf of the President by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, during a ceremony attended by members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, the National Assembly, the Federal Executive Council, the APC National Working Committee, state chairmen of the party and APC governorship candidates.
Earlier, the APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, described the event as the formal presentation of the duly completed nomination forms of the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Argungu noted that President Tinubu had earlier secured the party’s presidential ticket through what he described as a transparent primary election, and urged party members to remain united ahead of the 2027 polls.
He also commended the President for what he described as the achievements of his administration before formally handing over the nomination documents to the APC National Chairman for onward submission to INEC.
Speaking on behalf of APC governors, Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, reaffirmed the governors’ support for President Tinubu and the party leadership.
“We are delighted that this event is coming after a well-organised and thoroughly supervised primary process. We reiterate our commitment to continue supporting President Tinubu and the party,” he said.
Uzodimma said the APC remained committed to internal democracy and inclusiveness, adding that the governors would continue mobilising support for the President across the country.
“We will continue to support him in the larger interest of Nigerians and to take the country to greater heights. To the National Working Committee, we reaffirm our support. Together, we are going to deliver victory for President Tinubu and ensure the party wins all elective positions, including the National and State Assemblies,” he added.
Receiving the nomination forms, APC National Chairman, Prof. Yilwatda, described the event as a reflection of the confidence reposed in President Tinubu by millions of party members across the country.
According to him, the President’s endorsement by members of the party demonstrated widespread support for his administration and its policies.
He stated, “Today is a reflection of the wishes of over 12 million members of the APC who overwhelmingly voted for Mr. President as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election. We are proud that APC members across the country cast over 12 million votes for Mr. President and overwhelmingly endorsed him.
“I am sure that, together with members of the public who are APC sympathisers, friends of the party, and beneficiaries of the programmes of Mr. President, they will overwhelmingly vote for him. I can’t imagine the over 1.5 million students who are receiving student loans. They have families and friends, and they are part of a larger group that will overwhelmingly vote for Mr. President for supporting their education.”
Yilwatda also pointed to ongoing infrastructure projects across the country, saying the administration had undertaken road construction and other development projects in all six geopolitical zones.
He added, “We have road networks across the country that Mr. President has constructed; some of the longest in the history of Nigeria. Communities that had long forgotten road connectivity now have access to beautiful concrete roads passing through their villages, while local people are being engaged as workers on these projects. These projects cut across all six geopolitical zones, benefiting millions of Nigerians.
“People on social media often ask, ‘Who will vote for the APC?’ They are waiting for us across the country to vote for Mr. President. Look at the roads passing through communities and the many other projects the government is undertaking.”
The APC chairman urged governors and party faithful to intensify grassroots mobilisation and campaign on what he described as the administration’s achievements.
He continued, “Nigerians and our party members will overwhelmingly vote for him come January and give him a second term to continue the excellent work he has done in his first term. I appeal to the governors and to our supporters to go back home and spread the good news about what Mr. President is doing across the country. What we need is to focus on the achievements, the success stories, and the impact of his administration.
“We must go out there with facts. Let us tell our success stories. Believe me, Nigerians have seen the difference between policies that touch the lives of the people and governance that delivers results.”
Yilwatda also challenged governors to compete in delivering the highest number of votes for the President in 2027.
“We will all come out and mobilise across the six geopolitical zones. I am sure there will be healthy competition among the governors. One geopolitical zone has already told me they will deliver the highest number of votes for Mr. President. I will be happy to see such competition among the governors as they mobilise their states so that we can see which state will return the highest number of votes for Mr. President.
“We are excited as a party to present the best candidate in the history of this country in terms of good governance. As a party, we are proud and happy. We will present the best candidate in this election. That is why we are not afraid and have no doubt about our success. There is no shaking at all. Come 2027, our victory as a party is assured.”
INEC insists on midnight deadline
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission said five political parties were yet to complete the submission of the names of their presidential and vice-presidential candidates as of Friday, as it insisted that the July 11 deadline remained unchanged.
The commission’s National Commissioner, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with Saturday PUNCH while providing an update on submissions through INEC’s online nomination portal.
Haruna explained that while several parties had uploaded their presidential, vice-presidential and National Assembly candidates, others were still completing the exercise, stressing that all political parties had until midnight on Saturday to comply with the commission’s timetable.
He said, “Various parties have uploaded nominees. The deadline is still tomorrow; they have until 12 midnight tomorrow to upload.”
According to him, the parties that had made varying levels of submissions include AA, AAC, ADC, APGA, APM, Labour Party, Nigeria Democratic Congress, National Rescue Movement, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Young Progressives Party and Zenith Labour Party.
Haruna further disclosed that only a handful of parties had completed the submission of both their presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
He said, “The ones that have so far made submission of presidential and running mates are AA, AAC, ADC, NDC, PRP, SDP and YPP.
“ZLP only submitted presidential candidate, yet to forward that of Vice President. Those yet to make any submissions are APGA, LP, NRM, APM, and PDP.”
The INEC commissioner reiterated that political parties were expected to strictly comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the commission’s regulations, warning that candidates whose names did not emerge from primaries monitored by the commission would not be accepted.
The electoral umpire had earlier cautioned political parties against attempting to substitute candidates outside the provisions of the law, insisting that only duly nominated candidates would be recognised.
The commission maintained that the online nomination portal was introduced to improve transparency and efficiency in the submission process and reduce disputes arising from manual documentation.
“At every polling unit, there will be a battle to ensure that the will of the people prevails against those oppressing the Nigerian masses.
“Many people will be tempted by N5,000 or N10,000 and may end up selling their votes.
“As opposition parties, we have a lot to do in the coming months. We must educate and reorient the people and ensure there is a large voter turnout. The higher the turnout, the more difficult it will be for anyone to manipulate the elections.”
Similarly, the Young Progressives Party identified “state capture” as its biggest concern ahead of the election.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Wale Egbeola-Martins, said, “The YPP’s greatest concern ahead of the 2027 general elections is the increasing threat of state capture and its implications for Nigeria’s democracy.
“We are already witnessing disturbing signs, with opposition political parties being systematically destabilised while critical state institutions appear to be deployed to intimidate opposition leaders and suppress dissent.
“Our fear is that the electoral environment may not provide a level playing field.”
He also expressed concern about the independence of key democratic institutions.
“There are growing concerns that institutions constitutionally expected to be independent, particularly INEC, could come under undue influence, thereby undermining public confidence in the credibility of the electoral process.”
The Democratic Leadership Alliance also identified declining public confidence in democratic institutions as a major concern ahead of the elections.
Its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Judith Aguenu, said, “The DLA believes that the greatest threat to the 2027 general elections is not any particular political party, but the erosion of public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
“Our concerns are centered on the need to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. We expect all institutions, particularly INEC and the security agencies, to operate strictly within the provisions of the Constitution and the Electoral Act, free from political interference or intimidation.”
She added that the party was focused on mobilising Nigerians and encouraging peaceful civic participation ahead of the polls.
PUNCHNEWS