The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said opposition political parties’ failure to meet the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) deadline for submitting the names of their candidates for the 2027 general elections exposes what it described as their lack of preparedness to govern.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the APC successfully met the July 11 deadline for uploading the names of its presidential, vice-presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates on INEC’s Candidate Nomination Portal.

According to the APC, INEC subsequently extended the submission deadline to July 14 following requests from opposition parties that were unable to complete the process before the original deadline.

The ruling party said although INEC acted within its statutory powers and administrative discretion by granting the extension, it argued that the development highlighted the opposition’s inability to effectively manage its internal nomination process despite fielding fewer candidates than the APC.

The APC said the situation raises questions about the opposition’s organisational capacity and readiness to govern, adding that political parties unable to conclude their internal processes efficiently cannot be trusted with the responsibility of leading the country.

The party also accused opposition parties of hypocrisy, noting that they had previously alleged that the APC controlled INEC’s decisions but later sought and obtained an extension from the same electoral body after missing the submission deadline.

It maintained that it would have benefited had INEC insisted on the original deadline but said it had no reason to interfere, having already completed its submissions.

The APC said its timely compliance with the electoral timetable demonstrated its organisational discipline, commitment to due process and leadership.

The party urged its leaders, members and supporters to shift focus to grassroots mobilisation, strengthening party structures and promoting the achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The statement was signed by APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka.