The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has extended the deadline for the collection of Expression of Interest Forms for governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly aspirants, while officially closing the window for presidential hopefuls seeking to contest under the party’s platform.
In a statement signed by the party’s National Secretary, Ikenna Morgan Enekweizu Esq., the NDC announced that the earlier deadline of 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2026, has now been shifted to 12:00 midnight on Sunday, May 24, 2026.
The extension affects aspirants vying for seats in the State Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and governorship positions.
“The deadline for the collection of Expression of Interest Forms… has been extended to 12:00 midnight on Sunday, 24th May, 2026,” the party stated.
The development comes amid mounting political activities and intense consultations ahead of the party’s primaries, as aspirants scramble to secure tickets for the 2027 elections.
Despite the extension granted to other categories of contestants, the NDC declared that the collection of Expression of Interest Forms for the Office of the President has officially closed, signaling the end of the first phase of its presidential selection process.
The party also unveiled a tight screening timetable, announcing that verification and pre-qualification exercises for aspirants who have obtained and completed the forms will begin on Tuesday, May 19, and end on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
According to the statement, only aspirants who successfully scale the screening stage will be eligible to purchase Nomination Forms.
“The collection and return of Nomination Forms for all screened and cleared aspirants will commence on Wednesday, 20th May, 2026, and close on Tuesday, 26th May, 2026,” the NDC said.
The opposition party warned that there would be no further extension after the new deadline, directing all aspirants to comply strictly with the timelines and submission requirements.
As part of the screening process, aspirants are expected to appear before designated screening panels nationwide with key documents including educational certificates, birth certificates or declarations of age, voter’s cards, NDC membership cards, curriculum vitae, and four recent passport photographs.
“All documents submitted to the Screening Committee must be in six copies each,” the statement added.
The NDC said aspirants would be assessed based on “the wishes of the electorate, local peculiarities, capacity and competence of aspirants, and character.”
The party further instructed its Screening Committee to observe the NDC’s affirmative action policy for women, youths and persons living with disabilities.
In a move seen as an attempt to reduce internal clashes ahead of primaries, the party also urged aspirants to embrace consensus-building efforts.
“Aspirants are also encouraged to pursue consensus-building, as only cleared aspirants will be eligible to purchase Nomination Forms,” the statement said.
