SDP begins upload of 1,015 Assembly candidates to INEC portal

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has begun uploading the details of its 1,015 candidates for the State Houses of Assembly elections onto the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) Candidate Nomination Portal. This follows the party's completion of submissions for its presidential, governorship, and National Assembly candidates. The move comes less than 24 hours after the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) announced it had uploaded the details of its 27 governorship candidates and their running mates, along with more than 60 percent of its State Assembly candidates, ahead of the August 8 deadline set by INEC. SDP National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, made these disclosures during an interview with reporters on the sidelines of an award presentation by the Arewa Students Union at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. He expressed confidence that the SDP would meet the submission deadline. According to Gombe, the party has completed the uploads for the presidential, National Assembly, and governorship elections and is currently working on the State Assembly candidates. “We have finished uploading our candidates for the presidential, National Assembly, and governorship elections,” Gombe stated. “We are now on the State Assembly. I am aware we still have a deadline or time limit up to the 8th of next month (August) for them to be concluded.” Gombe noted that the number of State Assembly candidates has increased from 993 to 1,015 due to the restructuring of 22 constituencies. He added that the process is progressing smoothly and that the SDP is on track to meet the deadline. The INEC nomination portal, which opened on July 18, allows political parties to submit the names and details of their candidates for the 2027 presidential, National Assembly, governorship, and State Houses of Assembly elections. Two weeks ago, the commission extended the deadline for this exercise to August 8 to give parties enough time to complete their nomination processes. During the event, Gombe thanked the Arewa Students Union for bestowing an Award of Excellence upon him. He described the recognition as belonging to the entire SDP family. Also present were SDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Senator Ugochukwu Uba, who remarked that the award conferred on Gombe reflected the quality of leadership within the party. President of the Arewa Students Union, Abubakar Abdullahi, spoke about the organization's commitment to promoting peace and responsible leadership among young people through advocacy and sensitization programs across tertiary institutions. His comments underscored the union's role in fostering youth engagement and civic responsibility. The SDP's actions follow a broader trend of political parties finalizing their candidate nominations ahead of the upcoming elections. With the deadline approaching, the focus will shift to ensuring that all necessary documentation is submitted accurately and on time. As the process continues, attention will remain on whether all parties can meet the August 8 deadline and how the submissions might influence the election dynamics.