Opposition political parties in Nigeria have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the deadline for party primaries for the 2027 general elections to the end of July 2026.
The demand was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a national summit held in Ibadan, Oyo State, where key opposition figures gathered to review preparations ahead of the polls.
Among the parties at the meeting were the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by David Mark, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chaired by Kabiru Turaki, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Leaders at the summit argued that the current timetable released by INEC places undue constraints on opposition parties, limiting their ability to effectively organise and conduct credible primaries.
“We consider the recent guidelines released by INEC as obstacles, deliberately engineered to impose conditions and deadlines on the opposition parties,” the communiqué stated.
The parties therefore urged the electoral body to review the schedule and grant an extension to allow for broader participation and internal party processes ahead of the elections.
