The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections by three days. The commission, in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the deadline, which was originally scheduled to expire Saturday by 11:59pm, has now been moved to Tuesday, August 11, 2026. INEC said the extension followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through its dedicated online portal. The commission also announced the suspension of the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election. INEC said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced PVCs have until midnight Sunday to print downloadable copies of their cards. According to the commission, the measure would enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of PVCs collected ahead of the election. INEC said PVC collection in Osun State commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties encountered by voters at collection centres. The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level from August 1 to 7. The commission also said replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central local government areas whose cards were stolen when hoodlums invaded the two collection centres. It, however, assured voters that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
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