The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says nine registered political parties have so far collected the access codes required to submit the particulars of their presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, INEC National Commissioner for Voter Education and Publicity, Mohammed Haruna, said the parties had obtained the credentials as of the close of business on Monday.
“As of the close of work on Monday, nine political parties have collected the access code for the national elections.”
The parties are Accord (A), Action Alliance (AA), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), National Democratic Party (NDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Haruna explained that it is the responsibility of political parties to request the access codes from the commission, noting that INEC would not deliver them to party headquarters.
He added that only individuals authorised by their respective party leadership and carrying formal letters of introduction would be permitted to obtain the credentials.
The commissioner said INEC had already provided political parties with detailed guidelines on candidate nominations and trained their officials on the use of the online nomination portal. He urged parties to comply with the stipulated procedures to avoid unnecessary setbacks during the exercise.
Haruna also advised parties against waiting until the deadline before uploading their candidates’ details, warning that any last-minute difficulties would be their responsibility.
“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.”
Under the electoral timetable, political parties have from June 27 to July 11 to upload the particulars of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through INEC’s online portal. The submission of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates is scheduled to commence on July 18 and end on August 8.
