The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended by three days the deadline for political parties to submit their governorship and State House of Assembly candidates for the 2027 General Election.
The deadline, which expired on Saturday, August 8, has now been shifted to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
INEC said the extension followed appeals from political parties seeking additional time to complete the uploading of their candidates’ details on the Commission’s dedicated portal.
The National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday.
In a related development, INEC said the window for voters in Osun State who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to print their downloadable cards would close at midnight on Sunday, August 9.
The Commission explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile the data on downloaded PVCs and establish the final statistics of collected cards ahead of the August 15 Osun governorship election.
PVC collection in the state began at Registration Area level on July 22 and was initially scheduled to end on July 28. The exercise was extended to July 31 following complaints over large crowds and difficulties encountered by voters at collection centres.
Collection subsequently moved to the Local Government Area level from August 1 to 7.
INEC also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards when hoodlums invaded the two collection centres.
The Commission assured voters that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reiterated its commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election in Osun State on August 15.
