The All Progressives Congress (APC) has released its timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections.
This is contained in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities document signed by the party’s national organising secretary, Sulaiman Muhammad Argungu.
The timetable outlines, among other activities, timelines for screening of aspirants, appeals, and primary elections, as well as directives on the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms.
The APC reassured members, stakeholders, and Nigerians of its commitment to conducting a credible and transparent primary election that will further strengthen the party’s internal democracy and consolidate its progressive ideals.
According to the timetable and schedule of activities, sale of forms will begin this Saturday, April 25, and end on May 2 while the last day for the submission of completed forms and accompanying documents is May 4, 2026.
It indicated that the presidential primary election will be held between May 15 and 16; House of Representatives, May 18; Senate, May 20; State Houses of Assembly, May 21 and Governorship, May 23, 2026.
The schedule further showed that presidential election appeal takes place on May 18; House of Representatives, May 20; Senate, May 21; State Houses of Assembly, May 23 and Governorship, May 25, 2026.
It pegged the cost of expression of interest form for presidential aspirants at N30 million and nomination form as N70 million while expression of interest form for governorship contenders is N10 million and nomination form, N40 million.
The party also put the expression of interest form for Senate at N3 million and nomination form at N17 million; for House of Representatives, expression of interest form goes for N1 million and nomination form, N9 million, while State House of Assembly expression of interest form is N1 million and nomination form, N5 million.
It added that female aspirants, youths and physically challenged contenders are to pay for the expression of interest form and 50 percent of each of the prescribed nomination fees.
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International Nigeria (TIN) have expressed serious concern over the high cost of nomination and expression of interest forms announced by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 elections.
APC released its timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections on Monday night.
It pegged the cost of the expression of interest form for presidential aspirants at N30 million and the nomination form at N70 million, while the expression of interest form for governorship contenders is N10 million and the nomination form is N40 million.
The party also set the expression of interest form for the Senate at N3 million and the nomination form at N17 million; for the House of Representatives, the expression of interest form costs N1 million and the nomination form N9 million; while for the State House of Assembly, the expression of interest form is N1 million and the nomination form N15 million.
Reacting to the development, the Executive Director of CISLAC and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, raised concerns over what he described as the monetisation of democracy.
Rafsanjani said the fees—running into hundreds of millions of naira—further entrench the commercialisation of Nigeria’s electoral process.
According to him, this risks turning political participation into a privilege reserved for people with illicit wealth, rather than a right open to all qualified citizens.
“We are concerned that this will surely exclude youth, women, and reform-minded Nigerians. Such prohibitive costs directly undermine inclusive participation.
“Young people, women, and competent but less wealthy individuals will have a lower chance, while those with questionable sources of wealth may have greater access, contradicting democratic ideals and commitments to political inclusion.
“This will again weaken internal party democracy. High nomination fees reduce competition within parties and discourage credible individuals. This may lead to the imposition of candidates and weaken internal democratic processes.
“CISLAC notes that this development is an incentive for corruption. When individuals spend excessively to secure party tickets, it increases the likelihood that they will seek to recover such expenses through corrupt practices if elected. This perpetuates a cycle of corruption in governance, as we observe in Nigeria.
“CISLAC highlights that such actions run counter to ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s electoral system, including efforts by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“CISLAC recommends that APC and other political parties review and drastically reduce nomination fees to encourage broader participation. The ruling party and other political parties should introduce waivers or subsidies for women, youth, and persons with disabilities,” he added.
