The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and several political parties are disagreeing over the release of access codes needed to upload candidates’ details for the 2027 general elections.
According to INEC’s election timetable, the access codes were supposed to be available from Friday, June 26, 2026. However, many political parties claim they have not received them.
INEC, on the other hand, insists that the codes are ready and that training sessions were held on Thursday and Friday for party representatives on how to use the candidate nomination portal. The commission also said the deadline for uploading presidential and National Assembly candidates remains July 11, 2026.
INEC Defends Its Position
An INEC official said political parties still have enough time to complete the process before the deadline.
The official explained that party ICT personnel were trained on how to use the portal and that INEC staff are available to assist parties experiencing difficulties.
INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, also dismissed claims that parties had not received access codes. She said parties were expected to attend the training sessions before collecting the codes.
According to INEC, the portal for submitting presidential and National Assembly candidates opened on June 27 and will close on July 11, 2026.
The portal for governorship and State House of Assembly candidates will open on July 18 and close on August 8, 2026.
Political Parties Say Codes Have Not Been Released
Several parties disagreed with INEC’s position.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) said they had not yet received the access codes.
Officials of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) did not comment on the issue.
Some party stakeholders argued that the access codes are not the biggest concern, noting that court decisions have previously changed election outcomes even after candidates were uploaded on INEC’s portal.
NNPP Says INEC Has Started Releasing Codes
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) said INEC has begun issuing access codes for the upcoming Osun State governorship election.
NNPP National Secretary, Dipo Olayoku, said he was not certain whether the same process had started for the 2027 general elections but praised INEC’s efforts.
He noted that the electoral commission has been under pressure due to recent elections, by-elections, and numerous court cases involving political parties.
NDC Still Waiting
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) said it requested the access code from INEC but had not yet received a response.
The party is also dealing with a court case after a Federal High Court in Lokoja ordered INEC not to recognize the NDC pending the resolution of legal disputes surrounding its registration.
Despite the ruling, NDC leaders said they would appeal the decision and remain confident that their candidates, including presidential candidate Peter Obi, would remain on the ballot.
The party’s chairman, Senator Cleopas Zuwoghe, said the court ruling would not stop the party from preparing for the election and uploading candidates once it receives the necessary code.
Labour Party Also Waiting
The Labour Party (LP) said it is still waiting for INEC to release the access code.
A senior party official said the party had already distributed nomination forms to aspirants and would upload candidates’ details once the codes become available.
The official added that no political party had received the codes as of Saturday and that they were informed the codes might be ready by Monday.
BOOT Party Says It Has Received Notification
The Because Of Our Tomorrow (BOOT) Party gave a different account.
Its National Chairman, Sunny Adenuga, said INEC had informed the party that its access code was ready and that it would collect it early in the week.
Key Point
While several political parties insist they have not yet received access codes needed to upload candidates for the 2027 elections, INEC maintains that the codes are available and Fresh Election Tension as Parties Await INEC Upload Access Codesthat parties are being trained on how to use them.
The deadline for uploading presidential and National Assembly candidates remains July 11, 2026.
