INEC: Race Against Time Ends, Three Parties Fail to File Candidates

By Arit Mbeh

Three political parties failed to upload the names of their presidential and vice-presidential candidates before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) closed its candidate nomination portal at midnight on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.

A senior INEC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, identified the affected parties as the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the Labour Party (LP) faction led by Nenadi Usman.

The official disclosed that virtually every other registered political party successfully uploaded the names of their presidential and vice-presidential candidates ahead of the deadline.

“As of now, only about three political parties are yet to upload the names of their presidential and running mate candidates. They are APGA, the PDP (Wike faction) and the LP (Nenadi faction). Virtually every other party has filed its candidates,” the official said.

The deadline marked the end of an extension granted by INEC after several political parties appealed for additional time to complete their nomination processes. The commission had initially fixed Saturday, July 11, as the deadline before extending it to 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, while maintaining that no further extension would be granted.

With the portal now closed, INEC is expected to begin processing the submissions in accordance with the Electoral Act and its guidelines ahead of the publication of candidates’ particulars.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) successfully uploaded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima as its presidential ticket for the 2027 general election.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) also completed the submission of its presidential ticket, comprising former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.

Similarly, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) submitted the names of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

INEC sources, however, disclosed that some political parties uploaded only the names of their presidential candidates without naming running mates before the deadline.

As of Tuesday evening, there was no indication that any of the submissions by major political parties had been withdrawn, while the names of their recognised national executives remained reflected on the INEC portal.

Competent sources told Midwest Herald that INEC was under what they described as “intensive pressure” to remove candidates submitted by political parties facing unresolved legal disputes over their leadership.

The sources said the commission has yet to take any action on the affected parties pending legal advice and the determination of ongoing court cases.

Despite successfully uploading its presidential and National Assembly candidates, the ADC continues to grapple with a leadership crisis following Tuesday’s Court of Appeal judgment in Abuja.

The appellate court affirmed an earlier judgment restraining INEC from recognising or participating in state congresses conducted by the faction led by former Senate President David Mark.

However, checks on the INEC portal as of Tuesday night showed no change in the party’s recognised leadership, with David Mark still listed as National Chairman and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola remaining National Secretary.

Other members of the National Working Committee listed on the portal include Dr Mani Ibrahim Ahmad as National Treasurer, Akibu Dalhatu as National Financial Secretary and Prof Oserheimen Aigberadion Osunbor as National Legal Adviser.

The continued recognition of the Mark-led leadership despite the Court of Appeal judgment is expected to fuel further debate over which faction INEC will ultimately recognise for electoral purposes.

Meanwhile, the ADC has called on INEC to facilitate the arrest and prosecution of its former Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, over claims that he obtained the commission’s access code and uploaded candidates on behalf of the party.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said INEC’s clarification that the document circulated by Gombe was forged confirmed that the claims were false and constituted a criminal attempt to undermine the integrity of the electoral process.

According to Abdullahi, allowing such actions to go unpunished could erode public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system.

He also confirmed that the ADC had successfully uploaded the names and credentials of Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi to the INEC nomination portal, describing the exercise as another milestone in the party’s preparations for the 2027 general election.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) also confirmed that it had successfully uploaded the names of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and other qualified candidates.

The party’s National Leader, Henry Seriake Dickson, disclosed in a statement posted on his X account that the NDC had been granted access to the INEC portal after filing an appeal and an application for a stay of execution against a recent court ruling affecting the party.

Although the Wike-backed PDP was listed by senior INEC officials among the three political parties that failed to upload their presidential candidates before the portal closed, the faction’s National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed Takushara, insisted that the party had successfully completed the process.

Takushara said the faction uploaded the names of its presidential candidate, running mate and National Assembly candidates before the deadline.

“This is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the promise we made that, under my leadership, the PDP will fully participate in the 2027 general elections. Today, we have taken another decisive step towards fulfilling that promise,” he said.

As of the time of filing this report, INEC had not officially responded to the conflicting claims regarding the Wike-led PDP’s submission, leaving uncertainty over the status of the faction’s candidates.