INEC, political parties disagree over access codes for 2027 candidates’ upload
Going by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s timetable for the 2027 general elections, access codes for the online nomination portal were scheduled to be released to political parties last Friday.
However, while several political parties, with the exception of the Boot Party (BOOT), claimed they had yet to receive the codes, the electoral commission insisted that the codes had already been made available.
INEC said it conducted a training session for representatives of political parties on Thursday and Friday on how to use the nomination portal, maintaining that the deadline for uploading candidates remains July 11.
The disagreement comes as rival factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) seek recognition from the commission to upload their candidates to the portal.
Presidential, National Assembly nomination portal closes July 11 — INEC
INEC said it had commenced training for political party representatives to enable them navigate its online nomination portal for the submission of candidates’ details ahead of the 2027 general elections.
A senior INEC official, who spoke on the level of compliance by political parties, urged patience, saying it was too early to assess how parties were responding to the process.
“We are interfacing with them. They have until July 11 to complete their uploads. It’s too early to talk about compliance or otherwise.
“The ICT personnel of the parties understand the uploading process. Last Thursday and Friday, we organised training for representatives of political parties.
“If they encounter any challenges, our personnel are on standby to assist. It is not a difficult process. Even members of the media use our dedicated portal for similar purposes,” the official said.
When contacted, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, dismissed claims that political parties had not received the access codes.
“Any party claiming they do not have the access codes should be asked whether they attended the training on Thursday and Friday. Were they expecting to receive the codes without attending the training?
“The training is still ongoing, and if by Monday they have not received the codes, then they can make such claims,” she said.
According to the commission’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections, the online submission of Forms EC9 and EC9A, EC9B, EC9C, EC9D and EC9E for presidential and National Assembly candidates opened at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 27, 2026, and will close at 6:00 p.m. on July 11, 2026.
For governorship and State House of Assembly candidates, the portal will open at 9:00 a.m. on July 18 and close at 6:00 p.m. on August 8, 2026.
Form EC9 captures the personal particulars of candidates, while Forms EC9A to EC9E contain the names and lists of nominated candidates.
According to the timetable, access codes for the submission of nomination forms became available for collection at the commission’s headquarters from Friday, June 26, 2026.
The exercise is anchored on Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which stipulates that political parties must submit their candidates’ nominations no later than 120 days before the election.
“We’re yet to receive access codes” — Political parties
Despite INEC’s position, several political parties maintained that they had not received the access codes required to upload the names of their candidates for the 2027 elections.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, and the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) National Publicity Secretary, Mohammed Ishaq, said the codes had yet to be released to their parties. According to them, INEC assured the parties that the codes would be issued once they were ready.
The two spokespersons of the rival PDP factions, Ini Ememobong and Jungudo Haruna, did not respond to inquiries on the matter as of the time of filing this report.
Similarly, the leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) declined to comment when contacted.
Meanwhile, some party stakeholders argued that access to the codes was not a major concern, except in relation to the issuance of certificates of return, noting that ballots display party logos rather than candidates’ names.
They cited the case of some lawmakers from Plateau State, who eventually secured their seats through court rulings after the original candidates whose names were uploaded to the INEC portal were disqualified over irregular party congresses.
NNPP: INEC has begun issuing codes for Osun election
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) said INEC has started issuing access codes to political parties participating in the forthcoming Osun State governorship election, suggesting that the commission is gradually rolling out the process.
