ADC, NDC say names will be released soon
Aspirants in recently concluded party primaries across major political parties have expressed growing frustration as national leaderships delay the release of final candidate lists several weeks after the exercises ended.
According to the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties were expected to conclude primaries and resolve disputes by 30 May 2026. However, weeks after the deadline, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) have yet to publish definitive lists of candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly elections.
While the parties have affirmed their presidential candidates, uncertainty persists at the subnational level. The APC has endorsed President Bola Tinubu, while the David Mark-led faction of the ADC is backing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Other ADC factions have fielded Dumebi Kachukwu and Chris Uba, while the NDC has ratified a joint presidential ticket involving Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso for the 2027 election cycle.
The delay has fuelled tension among aspirants, many of whom say they have spent heavily on mobilisation and campaign logistics without clarity on their status.
The APC has already distanced itself from a purported “concluded list of senatorial candidates” circulating online, describing it as fake. Party National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka said only the National Working Committee (NWC) has the authority to release official nomination lists after due internal processes.
The uncertainty has also reached the National Assembly, where Senate President Godswill Akpabio acknowledged rising anxiety among lawmakers affected by the primaries.
Speaking at the inauguration of the APC National Campaign Council for the Ekiti governorship election, Akpabio urged the party leadership to handle the final nomination list with sensitivity.
“The party is supreme. I’m only pleading with the party to ensure that when they bring out their final list, they carry all of us along,” he said.
He added that internal party negotiations often leave some aspirants dissatisfied.
“Some of my people have hypertension,” he said, drawing laughter from delegates, before stressing that the party must balance fairness with electoral strategy.
Akpabio, who is also co-chairman of the APC campaign structure, said political considerations must reflect merit and electoral reality.
“You have the right to choose anybody you want. But when anyone has lost an election on the ground, don’t expect me to plead for their inclusion. It simply means the person has lost,” he said.
He urged aspirants to accept the outcomes of primaries while appealing for fairness in the release of final lists.
“I want to congratulate those who won and plead with my colleagues to accept that due process must be followed. We shall endorse the final list when it is ready,” he added.
Several aspirants who spoke on condition of anonymity said the delay had created uncertainty and financial strain.
“We spent millions mobilising supporters. Now they are talking about a consensus after the primaries. That is not democracy,” one Senate aspirant said.
Another aspirant from Delta State under the NDC platform alleged attempts to overturn primary results in some constituencies.
He cited figures from his local government result sheet, claiming he secured over 4,000 votes while the closest rival scored fewer than 900.
“What they want to do is overturn clear results,” he said, sharing what he described as signed ward and local government collation sheets on party platforms.
