The Independent National Electoral Commission has shifted the date for the release of access codes to political parties to Monday, June 29, to enable them to upload the names of their nominated candidates for the 2027 general election.
The commission had originally planned to release the portal access codes on Friday, June 26, but sources from both the commission and the political parties confirmed the date was moved to Monday to ensure a smooth uploading process.
While INEC has already distributed the necessary nomination forms to the political parties, the digital gateway required to officially submit them remains temporarily closed.
According to an INEC source quoted by This Day Newspaper, ”what is outstanding now is for the political parties to upload all the various forms to the access code when it is released to them. The political parties have been given the forms that would be filled, but the access code on where it would be uploaded has not been released until Monday.”
In preparation for the new timeline, the Peoples Democratic Party presented certificates of return to its duly nominated candidates on Wednesday and issued them the necessary INEC forms.
During the presentation, the party, led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, ratified the outcomes of all primaries for the election of presidential, gubernatorial, senatorial, House of Representatives, and State Houses of Assembly candidates.
Each candidate received their INEC nomination forms with a directive to return the completed documents within 72 hours so the party could begin uploading them as soon as the portal opens.
Under INEC’s revised timetable for the 2027 general elections, political parties must complete candidate nominations within strict windows.
Presidential and National Assembly candidates are required to submit their forms through the portal between June 27 and July 11, 2026, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly forms will be accepted from July 18 to August 8, 2026.
The commission will publish the personal particulars of the presidential and National Assembly candidates on August 14, 2026, and governorship candidates on August 20, 2026, allowing the public to scrutinize the credentials.
Public campaigns will kick off on August 19, 2026, for the presidential and National Assembly elections, and September 9, 2026, for governorship and state assembly elections, leading up to the elections in January and February.
