Tension As INEC, Parties Disagree Over Upload Codes
A standoff has emerged between the Independent National Electoral Commission and political parties over the issuance of access codes for uploading candidates’ particulars, just as the window for nominating presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general election opens.
While the parties, with the exception of the BOOT party, said they had not received the codes, the electoral umpire said it had done so. INEC insisted it conducted training for party representatives on Thursday and Friday, and maintained that the deadline for uploading candidates remained July 11.
Under the commission’s revised timetable, the window for submission of Forms EC9 and EC9A, 9B, 9C, 9D and 9E opened at 9.00am on Saturday, June 27, 2026, and closes at 6.00pm on July 11, 2026 for presidential and National Assembly candidates. For governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates, the portal opens on July 18 and closes on August 8, 2026. The exercise is anchored on Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which requires nominations not later than 120 days before the election.
INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan had earlier set June 26 for the release of the codes, following the completion of party primaries on May 30. The commission later shifted the release date to Monday, June 29, to ensure a smooth uploading process.
INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, dismissed claims that parties were yet to receive codes, asking whether complaining parties attended the training. “The training continues and if by Monday they have not got the codes, then they can now make such claims,” she said.
The dispute unfolds amid deepening internal crises. While Bola Tinubu emerged the APC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar clinched the ADC ticket and Peter Obi got the NDC ticket, with Donald Duke, Prince Adewole, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim and Omoyele Sowore securing the tickets of the PRP, SDP, AP and AAC respectively. Rival PDP and ADC factions are jostling for the commission’s nod to upload candidates.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress faces the gravest threat. The party said it approached INEC for its access code but got no response. The hesitation follows a Federal High Court ruling in Lokoja on Friday, June 26, 2026. Justice Isah Dashen set aside the court’s earlier judgment that had directed INEC to register the NDC, holding that the earlier decision was delivered without hearing the Peace Movement Party, which claimed ownership of the disputed logo.
NDC National Chairman Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe rejected the ruling, insisting the party was not deregistered. “The Federal High Court is not the final court in the land. We will pursue this matter through the appellate process,” he said, assuring supporters that Obi and running mate Rabiu Kwankwaso would remain on the ballot. The party was due to file its appeal on Monday.
Stakes recall the Plateau precedent, where some senators assumed office through court-backed processes after initial winners were disqualified over flawed congresses. With campaigns and candidate scrutiny expected in August, parties unable to upload within the window risk forfeiting their slots, since only properly nominated candidates can contest.