INEC Portal Controversy: PDP Clarifies Candidate Nomination Status, Cites INEC Confirmation
By Reporter
Confusion erupted on Wednesday following reports that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) failed to upload the names of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nomination portal ahead of the 2027 general election.
The controversy emerged after INEC closed its candidate nomination portal on July 14, following an extension of the deadline from July 11 to accommodate political parties.
As the portal closed on Tuesday, reports surfaced claiming that the PDP was among three political parties that allegedly failed to submit the names of their candidates before the deadline.
However, the PDP dismissed the reports, insisting that it had completed the process well before the original deadline. The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) stated that the names of its candidates were successfully uploaded on July 10, a day before the initial July 11 deadline.
To back its position, the party released what it described as INEC’s confirmation of the successful submission.
According to the document, Senator Sandy Onor Ojang was uploaded as the PDP’s presidential candidate, while Umar Babangida was listed as the party’s vice-presidential candidate.
The INEC acknowledgment read: “Candidate Profile for Onor Sandy Ojang, Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been submitted successfully.”
The confirmation, according to the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Honourable Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, showed that the upload was completed at exactly 11:50 a.m. on July 10.
Mohammed said the party complied fully with INEC’s nomination guidelines and met the stipulated timeline.
“For the record, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) successfully uploaded the names and particulars of its Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates to the INEC nomination portal at exactly 11:50 a.m. on Thursday, July 10, 2026, in full compliance with the Commission’s requirements and within the stipulated timeline,” he said.
