2027 Polls: Fresh Crisis Rocks Parties as INEC Opens Candidate Nomination Portal
Fresh leadership and nomination disputes have erupted across major political parties following the opening of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal for the submission of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The development has triggered renewed power struggles within several parties, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where rival factions are contesting control of the candidate nomination process after INEC began issuing portal access codes on June 26.
The crisis is most pronounced in the PDP, where the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has commenced uploading its candidates after receiving INEC’s access code.
Confirming the development on Monday, the PDP National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, said the party had received all necessary documentation from INEC and had begun uploading candidates’ details.
“We have also received all necessary documentation from INEC to meet requirements for the 2027 general elections. The upload is ongoing and will be completed before July 11, 2027. The party is in order, our candidates are preparing, and we are confident of victory,” Bature said.
However, the rival PDP Interim National Working Committee led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN) said it had yet to receive the commission’s access code, expressing confidence that pending court cases over the party’s leadership would be resolved before the July 18 submission deadline.
A member of the interim leadership, who spoke anonymously, maintained that the final court judgment—not possession of the access code—would ultimately determine which faction INEC recognises.
Although he declined to address the issue of the access code directly, the Interim National Working Committee’s Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, accused INEC of bias, describing the commission under its current leadership as “the most contentious” ahead of the 2027 elections.
The PDP leadership crisis stems from the Supreme Court’s split 3-2 judgment delivered on April 30, which nullified the party’s November 2025 national convention held in Ibadan that produced the Turaki-led executive backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
Following the ruling, the party’s Board of Trustees reconstituted Turaki and members of his team as an Interim National Working Committee, resulting in parallel leadership structures alongside the INEC-recognised faction aligned with Wike.
INEC insists on court-recognised leadership
Responding to enquiries, INEC reaffirmed that it would only deal with the leadership recognised by the courts.
National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna disclosed that several political parties had collected their portal access codes since June 26.
“Quite a number of political parties since June 26 have collected their codes already. I know the SDP, for instance, has collected,” he said.
On the PDP crisis, Haruna stated that the commission would only recognise the faction backed by the courts.
“I don’t know about any faction in the PDP. It is the one the court said we should recognise that we recognise. The Supreme Court’s position is what we follow,” he added.
States witness nomination disputes
Beyond the national leadership tussles, disputes over candidate nominations have emerged in several states.
In Lagos, uncertainty continues over the PDP governorship ticket, with Adedeji Doherty and Adetokunbo Pearse laying claim to the party’s candidacy. Supporters of Pearse are expected to meet PDP chieftain Bode George to seek clarification on the status of their nominations.
The Lagos APC, however, maintained that the list of legislative candidates published after its primaries remains valid, despite protests by aggrieved aspirants.
In Ondo State, hundreds of APC women staged a peaceful protest in Akure against what they described as an altered list of House of Representatives candidates.
Carrying placards bearing inscriptions such as “No to imposition in Ondo APC” and “Let our votes count,” the protesters accused the party’s national leadership of replacing the winners of the primaries with other names.
The state’s Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Seun Osamaye, described the published list as a betrayal of the people’s mandate and demanded that the authentic primary election results be respected.
Similarly, a coalition of APC stakeholders under the Ondo APC Progressive Minds Alliance defended the National Working Committee’s decision to review the primary election results, insisting it acted within the party’s constitution to protect internal democracy.
Parties commence candidate uploads
Across the country, political parties have begun uploading successful candidates to the INEC portal.
The APC confirmed that candidates had been uploaded in Edo State, while the PDP and APC in Jigawa also acknowledged receiving access codes.
In Kogi, the PDP said uploading of candidates would commence immediately after documentation was completed.
The PDP in Bayelsa confirmed that it had received access codes and had begun uploading candidates for National and State Assembly elections.
Similarly, political parties in Abia, including the APC, PDP, Labour Party and ADC, confirmed receipt of access codes, although most said internal processes were still ongoing before releasing their final lists.
In Oyo State, the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, presented nomination forms to three senatorial candidates and 14 House of Representatives candidates, urging them to remain united and intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the polls.
The party’s governorship candidate, Sharafadeen Alli, is expected to receive his nomination form later this week alongside his running mate.
Some parties still awaiting access codes
Not all parties have received the portal access needed to upload candidates.
In Borno State, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) said it was still awaiting its access code from INEC, while the African Democratic Congress confirmed it had received its code and would begin uploads this week.
In Adamawa, uncertainty over pending court cases has left many aspirants reluctant to confirm whether they have received nomination forms, with party insiders citing unresolved disputes arising from the primaries.
Meanwhile, INEC reiterated that political parties must complete the upload of candidates before the July 18 deadline in accordance with the electoral timetable, after which the commission will publish candidates’ personal particulars nationwide.