• Ganduje, Hanga dismiss opposition’s chances against Tinubu in 2027
• Obi declines to judge INEC chairman as Adeleke faults poll officials

The All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) have expressed confidence that they will meet the deadline for uploading the names of their governorship and State House of Assembly candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP) ahead of the August 8 deadline.

While the APC has commenced the digital upload of its candidates, the PDP and LP said they had put in place the necessary arrangements to complete the exercise within the timeframe stipulated by INEC.

Checks at the APC National Headquarters in Abuja revealed that the party’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) department began processing the documents on Saturday as part of efforts to beat the statutory deadline ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Sixteen APC governors seeking second-term mandates are being given priority in the upload process. They include Governors Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Abba Yusuf (Kano), Dikko Radda (Katsina), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), Umaru Bago (Niger), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Ahmad Aliyu (Sokoto), Agbu Kefas (Taraba) and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara).

Also expected to feature on the party’s governorship list are 12 first-time governorship flagbearers, including Obafemi Hamzat (Lagos), Solomon Adeola (Ogun), Ogundu Kingsley Chinda (Rivers), Eric Opah (Abia), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Mustapha Gubio (Borno), Jamilu Gwamna (Gombe), Ahmed Aliyu Wadada (Nasarawa) and Baba Malam Wali (Yobe).

The APC’s data-entry exercise covers 28 governorship candidates and 993 State Houses of Assembly candidates nationwide.

To ensure a seamless exercise, the party has constituted a dedicated vetting committee headed by Jibrin Bancir, Principal Private Secretary to the APC National Chairman.

“The committee is saddled with the responsibility of collecting and verifying all nomination forms from state chairmen before handing them over to the ICT unit. We are leaving nothing to chance ahead of the August 8 deadline for the closure of the INEC portal,” a source within the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) said.

The PDP also dismissed concerns about political parties’ capacity to complete the upload within the 22-day window set by INEC.

Its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, said the party had already commenced uploading candidates’ details after receiving its access codes.

“As a matter of fact, we have our access codes, and we have already started uploading these names. We have strategically positioned sufficient manpower to upload the details of our State House of Assembly and governorship candidates.

“We will do this seamlessly and upload them successfully within the timeframe allocated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” he said.

The Labour Party, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, also said it was fully prepared for the exercise.

“We are not anxious over any issue here. It is only when a political party lacks access codes that there is cause for concern.

“The Labour Party has its access codes, and the upload will be done in line with INEC’s guidelines,” a party source said.

The upload exercise, which runs from July 18 to August 8, requires political parties to submit the names of their governorship candidates and running mates, as well as candidates for State Houses of Assembly, through the commission’s online nomination portal.

Ganduje, Hanga dismiss opposition’s chances against Tinubu in 2027
MEANWHILE, the immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, and Senator Rufa’i Hanga have expressed doubts about the opposition’s ability to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that key opposition figures lack the political strength and grassroots support needed to secure victory.

Speaking at a public event in Kano, Ganduje said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, lacked the northern grassroots structures and regional support required to defeat Tinubu.

“The North is strategic in every presidential election. With due respect to our friends in the opposition, neither Peter Obi nor Atiku Abubakar can mobilise enough support in this region to defeat President Tinubu in 2027,” he said.

Ganduje maintained that both politicians lacked the political machinery to make significant electoral gains across the North despite ongoing coalition talks among opposition parties ahead of the election.

He also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to tighten the requirements for political party registration, arguing that only parties with functional structures, clear ideologies and broad national spread should be recognised.

According to him, stricter registration requirements would strengthen Nigeria’s democratic process by ensuring that only viable political parties participate in elections.

Similarly, Hanga said the NDC presidential ticket of Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso stood little chance of winning the election, amid speculation that he could defect to the APC.

The Kano Central senator made the remarks during an interview with Freedom Radio after separate meetings with Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, which fuelled reports of his planned exit from the NDC.

Hanga said he no longer believed the NDC could win the presidency, arguing that neither Obi nor Kwankwaso enjoyed sufficient national support.

“In the North, Obi has Kwankwaso as running mate, and Kwankwaso is only popular in Kano. Even now, his popularity is 50/50 because previously, while we were in the ADC, we had people in Katsina, Jigawa and Kaduna, but those people refused to join us in the NDC and remained in the ADC,” he said.

He also claimed Obi’s political support was largely concentrated in Anambra State and parts of the South, while arguing that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, would stand a better chance of defeating Tinubu in the North-West and North-East because of growing public dissatisfaction over insecurity and economic hardship.

Responding to reports about his relationship with former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, Hanga said pursuing a different political path should not be interpreted as betrayal.

“Now, if I leave Kwankwaso, nobody can say I betrayed anybody. If anyone says I betrayed someone, I will recommend that person be sent to Goron Dutse Prison or Dawanau Psychiatric Hospital,” he said.

Hanga added that he remained loyal to Kwankwaso after Governor Yusuf left the movement and travelled with him across the country. He also disclosed that he was outside Nigeria receiving medical treatment when the party announced Mustapha Kwankwaso as its deputy governorship candidate.

Obi declines to judge INEC chairman as Adeleke faults poll officials
ALSO, Nigerian Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi and businessman and President of Adeleke University, Deji Adeleke, have called for greater public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process, arguing that the credibility of elections depends not only on the Independent National Electoral Commission but also on the conduct of those involved.

Speaking during an interview in Germany, Obi said he could not prejudge theChairman of INEC, Joash Amupitan, ahead of the 2027 general election, describing the electoral umpire as a referee whose performance could only be assessed by the way he discharged his responsibilities.

“I have not met him yet, and for me, he’s a referee, and you can’t decide if a referee will do the right thing or the wrong thing,” Obi said.

He added that he had not met Amupitan since his appointment and could not speculate on whether he would conduct the election fairly.

Obi urged young Nigerians to remain committed to democratic participation, saying the country’s future depended on the choices its citizens make.

“We are telling the youths that it’s about their future. We want a better future because they have a right to a better future, and that’s what I’m doing every day.

“You cannot allow this process to continue. It’s a great country that can be turned around, a country that has the resources to be better.

“Again, if Nigeria is doing well today, it’s not only beneficial to Nigerians, it’s beneficial to Europe because you are the closest people to us. If Nigeria today is booming, then German companies will do more business in Nigeria.”

He maintained that the outcome of the election would ultimately depend on Nigerians.

“In whatever role they play, the people can decide otherwise. If the people decide that they won’t do the wrong thing, they won’t do the wrong thing; it’s about the people.

“I have seen systems change from the time I became governor till today. I have seen people say that we can’t have this.”

Similarly, Adeleke said the INEC chairman should not bear sole responsibility for electoral malpractice, alleging that some National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and police officers compromise election results at polling units.

Speaking yesterday at the 12th undergraduate and eighth postgraduate convocation ceremonies of Adeleke University in Ede, Osun State, he argued that no INEC chairman could personally supervise activities across thousands of polling units nationwide.

“You cannot blame that on the INEC chairman when youth corps members are collecting N50,000 and changing figures at the polling unit.

“Even if the INEC chairman is a spirit, is he going to be at all the polling units in Nigeria?”

Referring to the forthcoming election in Osun State, Adeleke noted that the state has 3,763 polling units, making it impossible for the INEC chairman to monitor every location.

He also accused some police officers of aiding electoral malpractice and warned that election violence and result manipulation were damaging Nigeria’s international image.

Adeleke further criticised judges who, according to him, pervert justice, urging those entrusted with public responsibilities to uphold integrity.

“It’s not too late for us to change. It’s never too late to start all over,” he said.