The Nigeria Democratic Congress on Tuesday released the schedule for the conduct of its primary elections, with presidential hopefuls expected to pay N60 million to secure their nomination and expression of interest forms ahead of the 2027 general elections.
NDC National Chairman, Moses Cleopas, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja.
Cleopas announced that the sale of forms will commence from May 13 to May 18 as part of its internal electoral process ahead of the next general elections.
The party also advised aspirants to attend the planned screening exercise with their relevant credentials and supporting documents.
The statement partly read, “The sale of nomination forms will commence immediately after the screening exercise from Thursday, May 21 to Saturday, May 23, 2026, while completed forms must be submitted on or before Monday, May 25.
“Appeals arising from the screening process will be entertained on May 25 and 26, while primary elections for various elective offices are scheduled to be held on May 27 and 28, 2026.
“The Presidential Primary Election is slated for May 29, 2026, in Abuja.”
Continuing, Cleopas clarified that aspirants seeking tickets for state Houses of Assembly would be screened in their respective states, while screening for National Assembly and presidential aspirants would take place at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
According to him, every aspirant will be required to sign an undertaking in line with the party’s guidelines and code of conduct.
He said, “The party also announced that it would adopt the ‘open secret ballot’ system for its primaries to guarantee credibility, fairness, and internal democracy.”
An open ballot system is a voting method in which voters vote openly, in contrast to a secret ballot, where a voter’s choices are confidential.
The NDC argued that its approved nomination fees remain among the lowest when compared with those charged by other major political parties in the country.
Under the approved fee structure, aspirants for the state Houses of Assembly are expected to pay N2.5m for both the expression of interest and nomination forms, while those for the House of Representatives will pay N6m.
In the Senate category, aspirants are to pay N8m for both forms, while governorship hopefuls will need to cough out N30m.
“For the presidency, aspirants will pay N20m for the expression of interest form and N40m for the nomination, bringing the total cost to N60m.
“Meanwhile, female aspirants and persons living with disability are to pay 50 per cent and 25 per cent of the fees across all categories.
“The party reaffirmed its commitment to a transparent and credible primary election process capable of producing competent candidates for the 2027 general elections,” Cleopas added.
