African Democratic Congress (ADC) has announced a significant reduction in nomination fees and rescheduled its presidential primary for May 23.
The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) met in Abuja on Tuesday to finalize the new electoral roadmap, aiming to position the ADC as a more accessible and competitive alternative to the country’s dominant political powers. The primary, originally slated for late June, was brought forward to ensure the party satisfies legal requirements and optimizes its strategic positioning.
“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has released an updated schedule of activities for its 2026 primary elections, alongside revised costs for nomination forms, following extensive consultations with party leaders, aspirants, and stakeholders across the country,” the statement said.
Under the revised timetable, the sale and submission of nomination forms will now run concurrently from May 6 to May 13, 2026, with the party stressing that “May 13 remains the final deadline for submission of all completed forms.”
The party maintained that screening of aspirants will take place on May 14 and May 15, while “the publication of screening results is scheduled for May 17, 2026.”
It added that “appeals will be heard between May 18 and May 19,” before “the final list of cleared aspirants will be published on May 20, 2026.”
Primary elections for legislative positions are to commence on May 21. According to the statement, “Primary elections for State Houses of Assembly, the House of Representatives, and the Senate will be held on May 21, 2026, followed by governorship primaries on May 22, 2026.”
In a notable shift from the earlier timetable, the ADC brought forward its presidential primary to May 23, 2026, instead of the previously announced May 25 date.
The statement further noted that “this will be followed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on May 25, 2026, and the Special National Convention on May 26, 2026.”
Beyond the schedule, the party also announced a downward review of nomination fees across all categories, reducing the cost of entry for aspirants.
“Following the review, the cost of nomination forms has been set at N90,000,000 for the presidential ticket, N30,000,000 for governorship, N10,000,000 for Senate, N5,000,000 for the House of Representatives, and N2,000,000 for State Houses of Assembly,” the statement said.
