By Nkechi Eze
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has extended the deadline for the collection of Expression of Interest Forms for aspirants seeking elective offices ahead of the 2026 elections.
According to an official signed statement by the National Secretary of the party, Ikenna Enekweizu, the deadline, initially scheduled to close at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, 17 May 2026, has now been extended to 12:00 midnight on Sunday, 24 May 2026.
The extension affects aspirants contesting for seats in the State Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, and Governorship positions.
The party, however, announced that the collection of Expression of Interest Forms for the Office of the President has officially closed.
The statement further disclosed that screening of aspirants who have purchased and completed the Expression of Interest Forms will commence on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, and end on Tuesday, 26 May 2026.
It added that the collection and return of Nomination Forms for all screened and cleared aspirants will begin on Wednesday, 20 May 2026, and close on Tuesday, 26 May 2026.
The NDC directed all aspirants to ensure strict compliance with the stipulated timelines, stressing that no further extension would be granted after the new deadline.
The party also instructed aspirants to make payments for the Expression of Interest Forms into the designated NDC Sterling Bank account and present evidence of payment to authorised officials at the National Secretariat for verification and collection of forms.
While State House of Assembly aspirants are expected to process their forms at the state level, House of Representatives, Senatorial, Governorship, and Presidential aspirants are required to present proof of payment at the National Secretariat for issuance of official receipts.
As part of the screening requirements, aspirants are expected to appear before the Screening and Pre-Qualification Committee with educational certificates, birth certificate or declaration of age, four recent passport photographs, voter’s identification card, NDC membership card, and copies of their curriculum vitae.
The statement noted that all documents submitted to the committee must be provided in six copies each.
The party explained that screening would be based on several criteria, including the wishes of the electorate, local peculiarities, capacity and competence of aspirants, as well as character assessment.
It also directed the Screening Committee to take into consideration the party’s affirmative action policy for women, youths, and persons living with disabilities.
The NDC encouraged aspirants to embrace consensus-building, noting that only cleared aspirants would be eligible to purchase Nomination Forms.
According to the screening timetable released by the party, House of Representatives aspirants from the North West and South West zones will be screened on 18 May 2026, while aspirants from the North East and South East zones are scheduled for 19 May 2026.
House of Representatives aspirants from the North Central and South South zones will be screened on 20 May 2026, while Senate and Governorship aspirants from all zones are billed for screening on 21 May 2026.
The party added that screening for State House of Assembly aspirants would be conducted at the state level between 19 and 21 May 2026.
