2027 polls: Parties rush to meet INEC’s uploading deadline
Political Parties Face Mixed Outcomes in Candidate Submissions for Elections
By Soni Daniel, Clifford Ndujihe, Henry Umoru, Omeiza Ajayi, Luminous Jannamike, John Alechenu, Gabriel Ewepu & Gift Chapi Odekina
Political parties in Nigeria are experiencing varying degrees of success with the ongoing submission of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) through its online portal. With the commission setting a deadline of July 11 for this process, many parties are grappling with challenges that could impact their compliance.
Major parties, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), reported that they successfully uploaded their candidate lists. In contrast, other parties faced significant difficulties, prompting some to express dissatisfaction with the system adopted by INEC.
Numerous parties are still finalizing the selection of running mates for gubernatorial candidates and are addressing ongoing issues linked to their primary elections.
Sonny Adenuga, National Chairman of the Because Of Our Tomorrow (BOOT) party, expressed frustration in an interview regarding the difficulties encountered in using the INEC portal after the party received access codes last week. “We are complying as usual. We will upload all our candidates before the deadline,” he assured, while confirming he had communicated these challenges to INEC.
Meanwhile, Labour Party officials reported no problems in their candidate submissions. National Publicity Secretary Ken Asogwa indicated that initial technical issues had been resolved. “We started uploading last week. It has been seamless,” he noted, explaining that some discrepancies in candidate particulars caused earlier difficulties.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) declined to comment on the submission process when approached for feedback.
The Action Democratic Party (ADP) announced its compliance with INEC’s guidelines and is actively working to meet the impending deadline. “We are fully compliant and progressing,” stated National Chairman Engr. Yabagi Yusuf Sani.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has been uploading candidate names with minimal issues, expressing confidence in meeting INEC’s deadline, according to National Publicity Secretary Osa Director.
Conversely, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) National Secretary Dipo Olayoku acknowledged a lack of awareness on the party’s progress since receiving the access code.
APC officials confirmed that their candidate uploads are proceeding smoothly. An anonymous senior party source stated, “We are on course to meet the July 11 deadline.” Abimbola Tooki, Special Adviser to APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, reinforced the party’s commitment to a transparent nomination process.
The APC recently submitted a revised list of candidates to INEC, having addressed complaints about prior entries from its primaries. Despite controversies surrounding the nominations, prominent party figures continue to pursue election candidacies.
Both the PDP and ADC leaders conveyed optimism about their submission processes. PDP National Publicity Secretary Mohammed Haruna Jungudo reported a seamless experience without technical or legal impediments. Likewise, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi confirmed successful uploads for presidential and vice-presidential candidates, declaring the party is on track with its submissions.
“As far as we are concerned, we are cruising, and everything is progressing smoothly,” Jungudo stated, urging party members to remain diligent as the election date approaches.