Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has approved an extension of the deadlines for the sale and submission of Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms for aspirants seeking to contest the 2027 general elections.

The decision was reached during a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting held on Thursday at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja. The extension applies to aspirants for all offices, including those for State Houses of Assembly.

Speaking to journalists after the NWC meeting, the party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Durosinmi Meseko, announced the adjustment to the pre-election timetable.

According to the revised schedule, the sale of forms, which was initially scheduled to end on Saturday, May 2, 2026, will now close at midnight on Monday, May 4, 2026. Furthermore, the deadline for the submission of completed forms and accompanying documents has been extended by 24 hours, from Monday, May 4, 2026, to midnight on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.

Meseko stated that the extension was necessary for two primary reasons. First, the public holiday observed nationwide on Friday, May 1, 2026 (May Day), caused a disruption to the original schedule. Second, the party leadership cited an “unusually high volume of interest” and a “high level of interest from aspirants” seeking to purchase the nomination forms.

The official directive was communicated via a letter dated April 30, 2026, which was addressed to the Chairmen of the party’s 36 State Chapters. The letter was signed by the party’s National Organizing Secretary, H.E. Sulaiman Muhammad Argungu, OFR.

On the same day the extension was announced, Sulaiman Argungu was also involved in presenting presidential nomination forms to a representative of President Bola Tinubu, who became the first aspirant to obtain the forms to seek re-election in 2027.

This internal party deadline adjustment comes within the framework of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) revised timetable for the 2027 general elections. On February 27, 2026, INEC brought forward the election dates, scheduling the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections for Saturday, February 6, 2027.

Furthermore, INEC has mandated that all party primaries, including the resolution of any disputes arising from them, must be conducted between April 23 and May 30, 2026, a period during which the APC’s nomination process is taking place. The party’s extension of its nomination deadlines must therefore operate within this broader, legally defined framework set by the national electoral commission.

The extension of nomination deadlines serves as a critical procedural pivot in the run-up to the state assembly elections. While framed as an administrative accommodation, it is a decision anchored in the interplay between the nation’s official electoral calendar and the party’s internal political dynamics. The acknowledgment of an “unusually high volume of interest” from aspirants suggests a competitive environment for the party’s tickets, making the management of the nomination process a key factor in shaping the final list of candidates who will represent the APC in the 2027 polls.