Sam Egwu was appointed chairman of the committee that will vet candidates after the Nigeria Democratic Congress extended the deadline for the collection of Expression of Interest Forms to 12:00 midnight on Sunday, 24th May, 2026.
The party said, "The deadline for the collection of Expression of Interest Forms for the State Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, and Governorship positions… has been extended to 12:00 midnight on Sunday, 24th May, 2026," giving more aspirants time to complete their paperwork while the presidency form collection remains closed.
The move replaces an original cut‑off of 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2026, and applies specifically to aspirants for State Houses of Assembly, the House of Representatives, the Senate and governorship positions. The party said the extension was intended to give more aspirants the opportunity to complete the process.
Screening of aspirants who purchased and completed forms is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, and to run through Tuesday, May 26, 2026. The party has named former Governor of Ebonyi State Senator Sam Egwu as chairman of a 17-member screening committee that is to be inaugurated by 4 pm on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, with Reuben Egwuaba serving as committee secretary.
The collection and return of Nomination Forms for aspirants who are screened and cleared will open on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, and close on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. That timetable leaves a narrow window between initial vetting and the close of nomination paperwork for those who must move from screening to formal nomination.
Aspirants are required to present a package of documents when they report for screening: educational certificates, birth certificates or declarations of age, passport photographs, voter cards, party membership cards and copies of their curriculum vitae. The party directed that all documents submitted to the Screening Committee be provided in six copies each.
The Screening Committee has also been instructed to observe the party's affirmative action policy for women, youths and persons living with disabilities, and party officials encouraged consensus‑building among aspirants as the processes move forward.
The schedule creates an immediate logistical pressure: screening begins on May 19 even as the extended collection window runs through May 24, and the return of Nomination Forms begins on May 20. That overlap means the committee will be interviewing and pre‑qualifying candidates while others are still completing their Expression of Interest paperwork, compressing both administrative and travel timelines for aspirants and party officials alike.
Inside the party, the national democratic congress process has therefore entered a phase where speed and coordination will determine who gets through the pre‑qualification gates in time to file nominations before the May 26 deadline.
For Sam Egwu and the 17‑member committee, the task is straightforward in description and difficult in execution: vet hundreds of aspirants, ensure six copies of validated documents for each, respect affirmative action directives, and produce clearances fast enough for screened candidates to meet the Nomination Form window. The most consequential immediate result is that the compressed calendar will test the committee's capacity to deliver that work without disadvantaging aspirants who take advantage of the extended collection deadline.
