The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections scheduled for the February 2027 General Election.
The commission announced the extension in a statement signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, and published on its official X handle.
According to INEC, the submission window, which was initially scheduled to close on Saturday, August 8, 2026, has now been extended to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The commission said the extension followed appeals by political parties seeking additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
INEC also announced the expiration of the deadline for voters who applied for the replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to print downloadable copies of their cards.
It said the window would close at midnight on Sunday, August 9, 2026.
The commission explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it to compile data on downloaded PVCs and establish the final statistics of PVCs collected ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election.
INEC recalled that the collection of PVCs in Osun State began at the Registration Area (RA) level from July 22 to 28, 2026.
It said the exercise was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties encountered by voters at some collection centres.
The commission subsequently moved the collection exercise to the Local Government Area (LGA) level, where it ran from August 1 to 7, 2026.
INEC further disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas whose cards were reportedly carted away by hoodlums who invaded the two collection centres.
The commission, however, reiterated that the stolen PVCs could not be used to vote.
INEC assured residents of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on August 15, 2026.
