The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit their lists of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state House of Assembly elections.
The submission deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August 2026, has now been moved to Tuesday, 11 August.
INEC announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday by Mohammed Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of the commission’s Information and Voter Education Committee.
The electoral body said the decision followed requests from political parties for additional time to complete the submission of candidates through its dedicated online portal.
According to the commission, the revised deadline forms part of its updated timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general election.
In a separate development, INEC announced the suspension of the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Osun State ahead of the governorship election scheduled for 15 August.
The commission said voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs would have until midnight on Sunday, 9 August, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
INEC explained that the deadline would allow it to collate data on the downloaded PVCs and prepare final figures for the cards collected ahead of the election.
The commission said PVC collection in Osun began at Registration Area level from 22 to 28 July but was extended to 31 July following complaints about overcrowding and difficulties encountered by voters at collection centres.
The exercise was subsequently moved to the local government level, where it continued from 1 to 7 August.
INEC also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been provided for affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after cards were stolen during attacks on two collection centres.
The electoral commission stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
It also assured residents that it was prepared to conduct the Osun governorship election as scheduled on 15 August.
INEC said it remained committed to delivering a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in the state.
