BY AHMED AKANBI
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has extended by three days the deadline for political parties to submit lists of candidates for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections ahead of the February 2027 general elections.
The Commission also announced the conclusion of Permanent Voter Card, PVC, collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election.
This was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna.
According to INEC, the deadline for parties to upload candidates’ lists on its portal, earlier fixed for Saturday, August 8, 2026, has now been moved to Tuesday, August 11.
The Commission said the extension followed appeals from political parties seeking more time to complete the submission process.
INEC clarified that the exercise covers only Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections scheduled to hold alongside the February 2027 General Election.
On Osun State, INEC said the window for voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced PVCs will close at midnight on Sunday, August 9.
The Commission explained that the deadline will enable it to compile data on downloadable PVCs printed and finalize statistics of total PVCs collected for the August 15 governorship election.
INEC recalled that PVC collection in Osun began at Registration Area level on July 22 and was to end July 28, 2026.
Following complaints about large crowds and difficulties, the Commission extended Registration Area collection to July 31.
The exercise was later moved to Local Government Areas, where it ran from August 1 to August 7, 2026.
The Commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs were made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central LGAs after hoodlums invaded the collection centres and carted away cards.
INEC, however, assured that the stolen PVCs cannot be used to vote and urged affected voters to print their replacement cards before the August 9 deadline.
The Commission further reassured residents of Osun of its readiness to deliver a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on August 15, 2026.