THREE political parties failed to submit the names of their presidential and vice-presidential candidates before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) closed its candidate nomination portal for the 2027 general elections.
According to an INEC official who spoke anonymously, the affected parties are the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction led by Nyesom Wike, and the Labour Party (LP) faction headed by Nenadi Usman.
The official, however, disclosed that nearly all other registered political parties successfully uploaded the details of their presidential and running mate candidates before the extended deadline expired.
INEC had earlier shifted the submission deadline to midnight on July 14 following requests from political parties, stressing that no further extension would be granted.
The extension allowed parties additional time to submit the names and credentials of their presidential, Senate, and House of Representatives candidates.
Among the parties that completed the process are the All Progressives Congress (APC), which retained President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima as its presidential ticket; the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which nominated Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi; and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), which submitted the names of Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Sources within INEC also revealed that some political parties uploaded only the names of their presidential candidates without naming running mates.
Despite the successful submissions, uncertainty remains in some states, including Benue, Kwara, and Nasarawa, over the identities of certain National Assembly candidates eventually uploaded to the commission’s portal.
Meanwhile, concerns have emerged over whether the ADC’s presidential and National Assembly candidates will be recognized following a recent Court of Appeal judgment involving the party’s leadership dispute.
Although the appellate court affirmed an earlier ruling restricting INEC from recognising congresses conducted by the leadership headed by former Senate President David Mark, checks showed that Mark remained listed on INEC’s portal as the party’s National Chairman as of yesterday.
The ADC also called for the arrest and prosecution of former Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, after INEC dismissed as false his claim that he obtained the commission’s access code and uploaded candidates on behalf of the party.
The party described the alleged action as an attempt to undermine the credibility of the electoral process.
In a related development, NDC National Leader Henry Seriake Dickson announced that the party was granted access to the INEC portal after filing an appeal and an application for a stay of execution over a recent court ruling affecting the party.
Similarly, the Wike-backed PDP faction said it successfully uploaded the names of its presidential candidate, running mate, and National Assembly candidates before the deadline.
Meanwhile, a Federal High Court is expected to determine the fate of Accord Party presidential aspirant Gbenga Hashim, who is seeking recognition as the party’s lawful candidate after alleging that his name was not submitted to INEC despite emerging from the party’s primary election.
