INEC’s online Candidate Nomination Portal has become a real test of readiness for Nigeria’s political parties as they hurry to upload their candidates ahead of the commission’s July 11 deadline for the 2027 general elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) introduced the portal to replace manual submissions and ensure that parties file Form EC9 and other documents within clear legal timelines for presidential, governorship, National Assembly and state Assembly candidates.
Yet, as uploads continue, parties are recording mixed fortunes, showing which organisations are digitally prepared and which are struggling with technology, internal disputes and unfinished primaries.
The Because Of Our Tomorrow (BOOT) Party is among those facing difficulties.
Its National Chairman, Sonny Adenuga, said it has been hard to use the INEC portal since the party received its access code last week.
He said, “We are complying as usual. We will upload all our candidates before the deadline.”
However, he expressed disappointment with the challenges BOOT is facing with the portal.
When asked whether he had drawn INEC’s attention to the problem, he replied, “Yes.”
His experience reflects the reality for several smaller parties that must simultaneously resolve disputes from their primaries, finalise running mates for governorship tickets and clean up candidate lists before they can complete uploads.
INEC Portal Exposes Smaller Parties’ Hitches
In contrast, the Labour Party (LP) says it has moved past its early hurdles.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, explained that LP started uploading last week and that the process is now smooth.
He said, “We started uploading last week. It has been seamless. The only challenge has been technical.”
He pointed out that INEC’s system is fully automated and cross‑checks entries against lists already in its database.
He said, “You know INEC has automated its system and we earlier submitted a list of successful candidates which has been uploaded in their system. The system sometimes rejects particulars if they do not match what it has.”
He gave a simple example of how name order can trigger rejection.
He said, “If, for instance, a candidate’s surname appears first on their list and we try to load using the same candidate’s first name first, the system may reject it. However, when this is reversed, the process is seamless.”
Asogwa added that, apart from such technical adjustments, LP has not faced other obstacles and did not encounter legal or administrative issues while uploading its candidates.
Action Democratic Party (ADP) also says it is firmly on track.
Its National Chairman, Engr Yabagi Yusuf Sani, said, “We are fully compliant and progressing to meet the deadlines by INEC.”
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) expressed similar confidence.
Its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said, “At the NDC, we have been uploading the names of our candidates with little or no challenges.”
He added, “We are confident that we shall meet the deadline set by INEC. Our reconciliation committee and the national leadership of our party are working tirelessly to resolve all outstanding issues emanating from our primaries. We thank our loyal and dedicated members for their understanding and cooperation.”
Big Parties Say Uploads Are On Cruise Control
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) says it is not encountering any difficulty interfacing with the portal and insists its uploads are proceeding smoothly to meet INEC’s timeline.
PDP and ADC go even further, describing their upload process as completely under control.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mohammed Haruna Jungudo, said the party has had no “technical, legal or administrative challenges” since the exercise began.
He said, “We are cruising, we are on cruise control. We are fine and have no issues at all. Since we started, everything has been going smoothly. We have encountered no challenges; technical, legal or otherwise, so far. Everything is progressing smoothly, and we are uploading the names of our candidates.”
He dismissed talk of irregularities and said there have been “no cases of wrongful or illegal substitution of candidates’ names” while urging members to ignore fake nomination forms and distractions from a pending court case.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party has successfully uploaded its presidential and vice‑presidential candidates and is on schedule with its National Assembly list.
