The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued access codes to registered political parties to begin uploading the particulars of their candidates to its Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP), as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather pace.
The commission said nine political parties had collected their access codes for the presidential and National Assembly elections, while nearly all registered parties had been granted access to the portal.
INEC National Commissioner for Voter Education and Publicity, Mohammed Haruna, said the parties that had collected their codes include the African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), National Democratic Party (NDP), Accord and Action Alliance.
"As of the close of work on Monday, nine political parties have collected the access code for the national elections," Haruna said.
He explained that political parties are responsible for collecting the access codes from the commission and that representatives must present letters of authorisation from their party leadership.
Haruna urged parties to comply with INEC's nomination guidelines and avoid delaying submissions until the deadline.
"INEC has been generous by extending the deadline from the close of work to midnight of the deadline date. If any political party decides to wait until the deadline, INEC cannot be blamed for that," he said.
The commission has fixed June 27 to July 11 for political parties to submit the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through the online portal.
A senior INEC official said the commission also granted the Nigeria Democratic Congress access to the nomination portal despite an ongoing legal dispute involving the party.
According to the official, INEC took judicial notice of the party's appeal against the court judgment and its application for a stay of execution before issuing the access code.
"Senator Seriake, their National Leader, claimed they've appealed the ruling and applied for a stay of execution.
It's only proper to take judicial notice of their appeal and not deny them the code. Obviously, this is without prejudice to the final outcome of the case," the official said.
The official stressed that granting the NDC access does not prejudice the pending litigation and allows the party to comply with the electoral timetable while the courts determine the matter.
Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress announced that it has successfully uploaded the nomination particulars of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, to INEC's nomination portal.
The party's National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the development as a major milestone in its preparations for the 2027 elections.
"We are pleased to announce the successful upload of the names and particulars of our presidential and vice-presidential candidates to the INEC nomination portal," Abdullahi said.
He said the submission reflects the ADC's commitment to offering Nigerians "a credible alternative anchored on competence, unity and national renewal."
The latest developments signal the start of the formal candidate nomination process for the 2027 general elections, with political parties racing to meet INEC's submission deadlines while the commission continues to oversee compliance with its electoral timetable.
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