Party News & Updates
Party News
Latest updates from Nigerian political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections
INEC 2027 Election Timetable
Revised schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections
Membership Registers
May 10, 2026
Deadline for submission of political parties' membership registers to INEC. ✓ COMPLETED.
Party Primaries
April 23 – May 30, 2026
Window for political parties to conduct primaries. ✓ COMPLETED — Tinubu (APC), Jonathan (PDP), Atiku (ADC), and Obi (NDC) emerged as the four major presidential candidates.
Nomination Forms
June 27 – July 11, 2026
Submission of nomination forms by political parties via INEC's online portal. Access codes for online submission released June 26.
Governorship Forms
July 3 – August 8, 2026
Submission window for governorship and state assembly candidate nomination forms.
Presidential Campaign Begins
September 23, 2026
Official start of public campaigns for presidential and National Assembly elections (revised by INEC from August 19 to accommodate Ramadan).
Governorship Campaign Begins
October 7, 2026
Official start of public campaigns for governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections (revised from September 9).
Final Candidates List
November 15, 2026
INEC publishes the final list of candidates for all elections.
Presidential & NASS Elections
February 20, 2027
Election day for President, Senate, and House of Representatives.
Governorship & State Assembly
March 6, 2027
Election day for Governors and State Houses of Assembly across all 36 states + FCT.
About these dates.
Election Day shown above — Feb 20, 2027 (Pres/NASS) and Mar 6, 2027 (Guber/State Assembly) — reflects the Electoral Act 2022 schedule.
In February 2026, INEC published a revised timetable under the new Electoral Act 2026 (briefly moving the dates to Jan 16, 2027 and Feb 6, 2027). That revision has been contested. The dates above will be updated when the legal position is settled.
Latest Headlines
Live news feed — auto-updated every 6 hours from Nigerian news sources
Political Party Updates
In-depth analysis and developments from major political parties
APC
All Progressives Congress
Ruling party — Tinubu secures 2027 ticket in landslide primary
Tinubu Wins APC Primary in Landslide — 10.99M Votes
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu secured the APC presidential ticket on May 23, 2026, polling 10,999,162 votes — 99.85% of votes cast in the party's nationwide direct primary. The result confirms his uncontested grip on the party machinery despite earlier whispers of resistance from northern blocs.
Channels TV, Nigeria Info FM
Shettima's Running-Mate Slot in Limbo
Vice President Kashim Shettima's renomination is no longer guaranteed. He submitted Tinubu's nomination forms — but party chieftains pointedly omitted him from a wave of solo Tinubu endorsements. Speculation favors either retaining the Muslim-Muslim ticket or pivoting to a northern Christian to neutralize 2023's religious balance grievance. A final decision is expected after the APC National Convention.
Daily Trust, Vanguard
Defection Wave Continues into APC
APC's absorption of opposition structures has continued into 2026: Governor Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers, ex-PDP), Governor Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta, ex-PDP), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), and most recently Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano, ex-NNPP, January 2026) all switched sides. The party has rebranded the wave as a "national consensus" rather than partisan poaching.
Premium Times, The Nation, Legit.ng
Senate Supermajority Holds at 87 Seats
APC commands 87 seats in the 109-member Senate, an 80% supermajority. The number has been steady since the April 2026 defections settled, though further realignments are anticipated as nomination season approaches.
Daily Post, National Assembly records
PDP
Peoples Democratic Party
Major opposition — chaotic primary, Jonathan affirmed amid disruption
Goodluck Jonathan Affirmed as Presidential Candidate
Former President Goodluck Jonathan was affirmed as the PDP's 2027 presidential candidate on May 30, 2026, after what the party described as "disruptions" to its Special National Convention in Abuja. The Interim NWC had pre-awarded Jonathan an automatic ticket on May 20, bypassing a competitive primary.
Guardian, Arise News, Vanguard
Sandy Onor Briefly Named — Then Reversed
In a confused mid-process announcement on May 26, the PDP Presidential Primaries Collation Committee, chaired by ex-Benue Governor Samuel Ortom, named Senator Sandy Onor of Cross River as the consensus candidate. The declaration was effectively overridden four days later when the convention reaffirmed Jonathan. The episode has deepened questions about PDP's internal coherence going into 2027.
Channels TV, Daily Post, New Dawn Nigeria
Wike-Makinde Rift Still Unresolved
The factional split between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde remains a live fault line inside the party. Wike has stayed publicly aligned with the federal government on selected issues, while Makinde controls a bloc resistant to Jonathan's candidacy. Bala Mohammed has positioned himself as a reluctant bridge between the camps.
Vanguard, The Guardian
Senate Footprint Collapses to 6 Seats
PDP's Senate caucus has shrunk to 6 seats following sustained defections to APC and ADC, down from 36 senators in the post-2023 chamber. The party's ability to mount effective committee resistance is now severely degraded.
Daily Post, National Assembly
House of Reps Bleed Continues
In June 2026, 6 PDP House members from Oyo State defected to the All Progressives Movement (APM), followed shortly by 4 more from Bauchi. The defections suggest mid-tier legislators are not waiting to see whether Jonathan's candidacy can stabilize the party.
Ghanamma, The Nation
ADC
African Democratic Congress
Atiku's vehicle — primary winner, but losing Obi cost the coalition narrative
Atiku Abubakar Wins ADC Primary
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the ADC presidential candidate with 1,846,370 votes, defeating ex-Rivers Governor Rotimi Amaechi (504,117) and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen (177,120). The NEC cleared the result on May 30, 2026. Atiku's win makes him a four-time presidential nominee.
Naija News, Daily Post, AllAfrica
Peter Obi Exits ADC for NDC
In a major coalition setback, Peter Obi formally left the ADC in early May 2026 to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), citing "internal disagreements and prolonged legal disputes." His departure — after only four months as an ADC member — punctures the ADC's claim to be the unified opposition vehicle.
Africanews, Politico Nigeria, Vanguard
Senate Foothold Steady at 9
Despite Obi's departure, ADC retains 9 Senate seats — picked up from defectors including Enyinnaya Abaribe, Victor Umeh, and Adamu Kingibe in late 2025. The ADC is now the second-largest opposition bloc in the Senate behind the APC supermajority.
Daily Post, Information Nigeria
Running Mate Pending
Atiku has yet to announce his vice-presidential pick. Speculation centres on a southern Christian to balance the ticket; insiders have floated names including a former southern governor and a tech-sector executive. A formal announcement is expected before the July 11 nomination deadline.
Vanguard, AllAfrica
NDC
Nigeria Democratic Congress
The Obi-Kwankwaso ticket — the surprise insurgent vehicle of 2027
Peter Obi Emerges as NDC Presidential Candidate
Peter Obi was confirmed as the NDC's 2027 presidential candidate at the party's Special Convention in Abuja on May 30, 2026, after emerging as the sole aspirant who purchased the Expression of Interest form. The convention followed his defection from the ADC and screening earlier in May.
Africanews, Sahara Reporters, Pulse Nigeria
Kwankwaso Named Running Mate
Obi named former Kano Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as his running mate on the same day as his nomination. The Obi-Kwankwaso ticket fuses the South-East and Kwankwasiyya support bases — a deliberate northern-southern balance designed to address the geographic narrowness that constrained Obi's 2023 campaign.
Vanguard, Daily Post, Information Nigeria
Coalition Strategy: A Two-Front Insurgency
The ticket reframes the 2027 race from a three-way contest (APC vs PDP vs Atiku's ADC) into a four-way fight, with NDC competing for both the youth-Obidient bloc and the Kwankwasiyya bloc that NNPP previously commanded. Datti Baba-Ahmed has publicly opposed Obi accepting a VP slot in any coalition.
Politico Nigeria, Bloomberg, Daily Post
Fundraising and Ground Mobilization Begins
NDC has launched parallel fundraising and field-organization tracks, with the campaign emphasizing diaspora micro-donations and a young-volunteer field model reminiscent of Obi's 2023 effort. The party is reportedly targeting state-level structure across the South-East, South-South, and the Kano-Jigawa-Katsina axis.
Pulse Nigeria, The Voice of Africa
LP
Labour Party
Hollowed out — no presidential candidate, no Senate seats
No Presidential Candidate for 2027
The Labour Party has not produced a viable presidential candidate for 2027. Peter Obi's departure first to ADC then to NDC, combined with INEC's unresolved leadership recognition issues, has left the party without a credible national flagbearer. Internal factional disputes continue to dominate party meetings.
Punch, Legit.ng, Daily Post
Datti Baba-Ahmed: "Obi Should Lead, Not Deputize"
Former LP vice-presidential candidate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed has publicly argued that Peter Obi should not accept a VP role in any opposition coalition, calling for Obi to lead his own ticket — which Obi has now done via NDC. Baba-Ahmed has stayed in LP for now.
Daily Post, kolaking.substack.com
Excluded from Multiple State Ballots
INEC's final candidate lists for upcoming off-cycle gubernatorial elections (Osun, Ekiti) have excluded both LP and PDP in places, citing failure to submit valid candidates within deadlines — a sign of how badly the party machinery has degraded.
Daily Post, AllAfrica
Zero Senate Seats
LP's Senate representation has been wiped to zero after defections to ADC and APC. The party that won eight Senate seats in 2023 now has no representation in the upper chamber.
Daily Post, National Assembly
NNPP
New Nigeria Peoples Party
Kwankwasiyya gone — party shell remains, leadership disputes intact
Kwankwaso Leaves for NDC
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has formally exited NNPP for the Nigeria Democratic Congress, where he is now running mate to Peter Obi. The departure ends months of speculation about whether he would land at ADC or NDC and effectively closes the chapter on NNPP as the Kwankwasiyya political vehicle.
Vanguard, Daily Post
Kano Governor Long Gone to APC
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf left NNPP for the APC on January 26, 2026, citing the party's persistent internal crisis. Deputy Governor Samaila Gwarzo refused to follow, creating an unusual split-party administration in Kano State.
Daily Post, ThisDay
Olaposi Faction Still Controls Party Structures
The faction of NNPP led by National Secretary Ogini Olaposi — which had earlier barred Kwankwaso from any 2027 presidential bid — continues to control official party structures. With Kwankwaso now in NDC, the dispute is effectively moot at the national level, but state-level NNPP organs remain contested.
Hallmark News, Nigerian Eye
2027 Presidential Bid Uncertain
With Kwankwaso departed and no high-profile aspirant to replace him, NNPP is unlikely to mount a serious 2027 presidential challenge. Reports suggest the party may run a token candidate or seek a late merger with another opposition bloc.
Legit.ng, Daily Post
OTH
Other Parties
Minor parties — fringe candidates and the APM's sudden growth
APM Grows From Defections
The All Progressives Movement (APM) has unexpectedly become a defection destination in June 2026, with 6 PDP House members from Oyo and 4 from Bauchi switching to it. The party is positioning as a soft-landing for mid-tier legislators who don't want to join the APC outright.
Ghanamma, The Nation
Minor Party Presidential Aspirants
Several smaller parties have declared aspirants: Adebayo Adewole Ebenezer (SDP), Ado-Ibrahim Abdumalik (YPP), and Peter Nnanna Umeadi (APGA). These campaigns remain regional and are unlikely to clear the 25% threshold in any state.
O3Schools
Senate Breakdown — June 2026
APC (87), ADC (9), PDP (6), APGA (1), NNPP (1), Accord (1), 4 vacant pending by-elections. LP, SDP, and NDC currently have zero senators — though NDC expects pickups before the 2027 polls.
Daily Post, National Assembly
12 House Reps Switch in One Day
In May 2026, 12 House of Representatives members switched parties in a single sitting day, moving from PDP, LP, YPP, and NNPP to either APC or ADC. The cross-party movement underscores how rapidly the legislature is realigning ahead of nomination season.
News Diary Online, National Assembly
Last updated: March 28, 2026. Information sourced from verified news reports.