Three political parties failed to submit the names of their presidential and vice-presidential candidates before the Independent National Electoral Commission closed its nomination portal for the 2027 general election.
As reported by Daily Trust, a senior INEC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, disclosed that the affected parties were the All Progressives Grand Alliance, the Peoples Democratic Party faction led by Nyesom Wike and the Labour Party faction under Nenadi Usman.
According to the official, nearly all registered political parties successfully uploaded the details of their presidential candidates and running mates before the portal closed at 11:59pm on Tuesday.
The commission had earlier extended the submission deadline following requests from political parties but maintained that the extension would be the last. Political parties were required to complete the nomination process and upload the particulars of their presidential and National Assembly candidates before the deadline in line with the Electoral Act.
Among the parties that met the deadline were the All Progressives Congress, which nominated President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for re-election; the African Democratic Congress, which submitted the names of Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi; and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, which uploaded Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as its presidential ticket.
However, sources within INEC said some political parties submitted only the names of their presidential candidates without naming running mates. Uncertainty also surrounded the identities of some National Assembly candidates in Benue, Kwara and Nasarawa states as political parties raced to beat the deadline.
Meanwhile, concerns emerged over whether the ADC's candidates would be recognised following Tuesday's Court of Appeal judgement on the party's leadership dispute.
Despite the appellate court's decision, checks indicated that the INEC portal still listed former Senate President David Mark as the ADC National Chairman, while former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola remained the party's National Secretary as of the time of filing this report.
The ADC also called on security agencies to investigate and prosecute former Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, following INEC's denial of his claim that he obtained the commission's access code and uploaded candidates on behalf of the party.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said INEC's clarification that the document circulated by Gombe was forged justified criminal investigation, warning that such claims could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress also confirmed that it successfully uploaded the names of its candidates after gaining access to the INEC nomination portal, while the Wike-backed PDP faction announced that it had submitted the details of its presidential, vice-presidential and National Assembly candidates.
Meanwhile, the fate of Accord Party presidential aspirant Olawepo Gbenga-Hashim remains uncertain after a court adjourned hearing in his suit against the party and INEC until Wednesday.
Gbenga-Hashim is seeking an order recognising him as the party's lawful presidential candidate or, alternatively, directing the conduct of a fresh primary if the court declines his request.
(Daily Trust)
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