Barring any last minute change in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) schedule for the 2027 general elections, access would be granted to political parties to upload names of their governorship, deputy governorship and state House of Assembly candidates from today. The upload is a significant step in the electoral process as it removes any doubt about those the party is fielding for the three political positions. This is more so as the primary elections of most of the political parties were marred in controversies with many of the aspirants either refusing to recognise those declared or claiming to the be the legitimate candidates. Weekend Trust reports that the upload of the names and particulars of governorship and state Assembly candidates commences by 9am and would remain open for the purpose till 6pm on August 8. Farmers worry over Bank of Agriculture services, call for restructuring 27 years after: Drug shortages, out-of-pocket payments dog health scheme INEC concluded a similar exercise for the upload of presidential and National Assembly candidates on Tuesday, July 14. Our correspondents report that political parties have concluded their governorship and state assembly primary elections and have presented their candidates with the most curious aspect remaining those the guber candidates would choose as running mates. In almost all the states, the selection of a deputy governorship candidate is rarely random as parties, candidates and other stakeholders weigh key balancing factors. In some states, religious balancing, inclusion in terms of senatorial zone and local government areas, gender and age considerations play big roles. Kaduna: Why Uba Sani, Ashiru are yet to name running mates The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Uba Sani and his counterpart in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State, Isa Ashiru, are yet to unveil their running mates ahead of the 2027 general elections. Reliable sources within the ADC told Weekend Trust that Ashiru had ceded the nomination of his running mate to the camp of a former Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai as part of the coalition arrangement within the party. According to the sources, the former governor’s camp is expected to nominate a candidate from Southern Kaduna. “We are yet to nominate anybody because we are waiting for recommendation from our leader, Malam Nasir el-Rufai. The deputy governorship slot was given to him to nominate. Our correspondent also gathered that Governor Uba Sani has also kept the identity of his running mate closely guarded, with a few members of his inner circle reportedly aware of his choice. The current deputy governor, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, is completing her second term in office and is constitutionally ineligible for another term. Sources within the APC said the governor’s next running mate is also expected to come from Southern Kaduna in line with the state’s political balancing arrangement. Bauchi: 3 governorship candidates unveil deputies in Bauchi Three out of the major political parties contesting various positions in Bauchi State have unveiled their deputy governorship candidates. The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) is the ruling party in the state and enjoys the support of the current governor, Bala Mohammed. The governorship candidate, Yakubu Adamu, a close associate of the governor, has picked the chairman of Bauchi Local Government Council, Mahmoud Babamaji Abubakar as his running mate. The main opposition, APC governorship candidate, Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar, has also picked the immediate past Commissioner for Special Duties and Rural Development, Farouk Mustapha to pair with him, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Usman Adamu Suphi picked a former chairman of the PDP in Bauchi Local Government Area, Abdulkadir Alin Bababa as running mate. The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) governorship candidate, Senator Shehu Buba Umar and that of the ADC, Senator Halliru Jika, are yet to unveil their running mates. Nasarawa: Wadada yet to unveil candidate In Nasarawa, the governorship candidate of the PDP, Emmanuel David Ombugadu, has chosen Yahaya Ohinoyi, a former state lawmaker from Toto Local Government Area as his running mate. Both Ombugadu and Ohinoyi ran on the PDP platforms for same positions in the 2023 election. Many believe the decision to retain the same positions is due to the popularity of the joint ticket in the last governorship election. In contrast, the ruling APC candidate, Ahmed Aliyu Wadada is yet to unveil his running mate. However, the groundwork for the decision appears to have been laid before the primaries. APC stakeholders from the northern senatorial zone, including Governor Abdullahi Sule, zoned the deputy governor slot to Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area. This move was designed to balance the ticket, given that
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