The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has granted access codes to nine registered political parties to enable them upload the names of their candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The parties include the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), among others.
The candidates are expected to contest the presidential, governorship, Senate and House of Representatives elections, except in Kogi and Osun states, where governorship elections are conducted off-cycle.
A senior INEC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, dismissed reports claiming that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) was denied access to the commission’s candidate nomination portal.
The official said the reports were false, stressing that the commission had no reason to deny any registered political party access to the platform.
“It is misinformation to suggest that the NDC was denied access code to upload its candidates to the INEC portal.
“The commission has no reason whatsoever to deny any registered political party access to the platform. I can confirm on good authority that the NDC was among the parties that received their access codes to upload the names of their candidates,” the official told Leadership.
The clarification followed claims by officials of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, which is currently involved in legal proceedings over moves to deregister the party.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, had alleged that when party officials visited INEC to collect the access code, they were informed that the commission would get back to them.
“We approached INEC to collect the access code to upload the names of our candidates to the INEC portal. They told us that they would get back to us,” he said, adding that any delay in uploading candidates should not be blamed on the party.
However, the INEC official maintained that the commission had treated all eligible political parties fairly and transparently.
The source also disclosed that more political parties were expected to receive their access credentials before the close of business, increasing the total number of parties granted access to about 13.
The official urged Nigerians to disregard reports suggesting that some political parties would be denied access to the candidate nomination portal, stressing that the commission remains committed to providing a level playing field for all participants in the 2027 general elections.
