The All Progressives Congress, APC, has criticized the failure of opposition political parties to meet the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, deadline for the submission of candidates for the 2027 general elections, saying it exposes their lack of preparedness to govern.

The party made the assertion in a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, after confirming that the APC successfully met INEC’s deadline for the submission of its presidential and National Assembly candidates.

According to the APC, although INEC later extended the deadline from July 11 to July 14, 2026, at the request of opposition parties, the development highlighted what it described as the opposition’s inability to effectively manage its internal affairs.

The statement reads: “Our great party satisfied this requirement despite the large number of party candidates contesting on the party’s platform for the various elective offices.

“At the request of opposition political parties that had failed to meet the July 11 deadline, @inecnigeria granted an extension of the deadline to July 14, 2026.

“While INEC acted within its statutory powers and administrative discretion in extending the deadline for opposition parties to upload the names of their candidates, it is noteworthy that the extension was necessitated by the stark failure of opposition parties to manage their internal processes to comply with INEC’s submission deadline, despite having fewer candidates to manage compared to the APC.

“This development provides yet another clear indication of the opposition’s chronic inherent weakness and raises legitimate questions about their operational capacity. Political parties that cannot efficiently conclude their own internal nomination processes cannot possibly be trusted by Nigerians to possess the competence, discipline, or readiness to govern our great nation or its subnational governments.”

The party also accused opposition parties of hypocrisy, recalling their previous allegations that the ruling party influenced INEC’s decisions.

“It is starkly ironical that the same opposition parties have repeatedly peddled false, malicious, and unfounded tales that the APC controls and dictates INEC’s decisions. Yet, as they failed to meet the submission deadline, they shamelessly turned to the same INEC for respite and were granted an extension.

“And the same APC, which would have been the obvious beneficiary if INEC had stood firm on its original deadline, kept its distance, having met the deadline and completed its submission. Again, this underscores the opposition’s hypocrisy and true character as peddlers of fake news and merchants of blackmail.

“With the successful upload of the particulars of all its presidential, vice-presidential, Senate, and House of Representatives candidates on the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal, the APC has, again, demonstrated its leadership, superior organisational capacity, discipline, and solid commitment to due process.

“As we conclude this important phase of the electoral process, we call on all party leaders, stakeholders, members, and supporters to turn their full attention to the task ahead.

“We must remain focused and continue to strengthen our structures at all levels, increase awareness of the massive achievements under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, deepen grassroots mobilisation, and prepare for a vigorous, issue-based campaign that will earn our great party a renewed mandate in the 2027 general elections,” it added.

Governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, in Delta State, Deacon Chris Iyovwaye, has accused the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, of sponsoring thugs who attempted to prevent him and his supporters from accessing a community town hall.

The NDC candidate alleged that the visit was nearly disrupted by persons he described as thugs.

He vowed that no act of intimidation or political violence would derail his campaign from offering what he described as a credible alternative for the state.

While commending his supporters for maintaining peace and exercising restraint despite what he described as provocation, he said their discipline prevented the situation from degenerating into violence.

Condemning the alleged incident, Iyovwaye insisted that intimidation and political violence have no place in a democratic society and called on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to ensure that all political parties are allowed to freely engage with the electorate without harassment.

He also urged the Inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police in Delta state and the Director of the Department of State Services, DSS, in the state to investigate the alleged attack and bring those responsible to justice.

“Democracy cannot flourish where political opponents are attacked simply for meeting with their own people,” he said.

Reiterating the NDC’s campaign message, Iyovwaye said his party remained focused on delivering good governance, practical solutions and people-oriented leadership capable of addressing the challenges confronting Delta State.

He urged the ruling APC in the state to concentrate on issues affecting the welfare and development of the people rather than engaging in acts capable of undermining the democratic process.

The NDC governorship candidate stressed that although “no one has a monopoly on violence,” his party would continue to pursue its political activities peacefully and within the ambit of the law.

He maintained that the NDC’s vision is anchored on restoring hope, strengthening governance and rebuilding public confidence in leadership.

“As we move across the state, our message remains clear: together, we will Reset Delta,” Iyovwaye declared.

The APC had not responded to the allegations at the time of filing this report.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, on Sunday said President Bola Tinubu’s administration is struggling under the weight of its failures.

ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the Tinubu administration has failed in the areas of security, economy, healthcare, education and virtually every measure of human dignity.

Posting on X, Abdullahi said the current administration which has shown much disdain for Nigerians, has extended the same gesture to city abroad in search of better opportunities.

He wrote: “It is sad that this government, which has shown such disdain for everyday Nigerians that are struggling under the weight of its failures, has now chosen to extend that same disregard to honest Nigerians who have japa’d in search of better opportunities.

“A government that has failed, and continues to fail, on security, the economy, healthcare, education, and virtually every measure of human dignity has no business lying to Nigerians and the world that things are better for the Nigerians in Nigeria, than they are for Nigerians abroad.

“Until this government can guarantee safety, create jobs, restore economic stability, and inspire confidence at home, it should either fix Nigeria or stop lecturing Nigerians who have simply done what the government itself has failed to do: secured a better future for themselves and their families.

“For perspective, and a little bit of respect, Nigeria’s total oil export earnings in 2025 were US$31.5 billion, while official diaspora remittances for the same year amounted to US$21.8 billion.”