The All Progressives Congress (APC) has labelled the failure of opposition parties to meet the Independent National Election Commission’s (INEC) July 11 initial deadline for the submission of names of their candidates for the 2027 General Election as evidence of incompetence and unpreparedness to govern Nigeria.
APC stated this while announcing the submission of its candidates’ names before the July 14 new deadline.
As contained in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the ruling party satisfied INEC’s requirement despite the large number of Party candidates contesting on its platform for the various elective offices.
Morka shaded the opposition parties who are yet to submit their list despite days after securing INEC’s extension of the deadline.
This, according to the APC, indicate the oppositions’ weakness and unpreparedness.
“At the request of opposition political parties that had failed to meet the July 11 deadline, INEC granted an extension of the deadline to July 14, 2026.
“While INEC acted within its statutory powers and administrative discretion in extending the deadline for opposition parties to upload names of their candidates, it is noteworthy that the extension was necessitated by the stark failure of opposition parties to manage their internal processes to comply with INEC’s submission deadline despite having fewer candidates to manage compared to the APC.
“This development provides yet another clear indication of the opposition’s chronic inherent weakness and raises legitimate questions about their operational capacity.
“Political parties that cannot efficiently conclude their own internal nomination processes cannot possibly be trusted by Nigerians to possess the competence, discipline, or readiness to govern our great nation or its subnational governments.” The ADC spokesperson wrote.
Morka further trolled the opposition parties over their resolve to demand extension of the deadline from INEC despite previous criticisms and allegations that the commission is influenced by the APC.
“It is starkly ironical that the same opposition parties have repeatedly peddled false, malicious and unfounded tales that the APC controls and dictates INEC’s decisions.
“Yet, as they failed to meet the submission deadline, they shamelessly turned to the same INEC for respite, and were granted an extension.
“And the same APC that would have been the obvious beneficiary if INEC had stood firm on its original deadline, kept its distance, having met the deadline and completed its submission.
“Again, this underscores the oppositions’ hypocrisy, and true character as peddlers of fake news and merchants of blackmail.” He said.
With the successful upload of particulars of all its Presidential, Vice Presidential, Senate, and House of Representatives candidates on the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal, APC, according Morka, has, again, demonstrated its leadership and superior organisational capacity, discipline, and solid commitment to due process.
He charged the party members to sustain and further strengthen the structure of the party.
“We must remain focused and continue to strengthen our structures at all levels, increase awareness of the massive achievements under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, deepen grassroots mobilisation, and prepare for a vigorous, issue-based campaign that will earn our great Party a renewed mandate in the 2027 general elections.” Morka added.