INEC and several political parties disagreed yesterday over the release of access codes needed to upload candidates’ details to the commission’s nomination portal for the 2027 general elections.
Under INEC’s timetable, the codes were expected to be available last Friday. But while the BOOT Party said it had received its code, parties including the ADC, PRP, LP and NDC said they were still waiting.
INEC insisted the codes had been released. The commission said it trained party representatives on Thursday and Friday and maintained that the deadline for uploading presidential and National Assembly candidates remains July 11.
An INEC official said: “We are interfacing with them. They have until July 11 to finish their uploads. It’s too early to talk about compliance or otherwise.
“The ICT personnel of the parties know the processes of uploading the required details. Last Thursday and Friday, we had a training for representatives of political parties.
“If they have challenges, our personnel are on standby to assist. It’s nothing difficult. Even you in the media, also use our dedicated portal to do same.”
INEC spokesperson Victoria Eta-Messi also dismissed claims that parties had not received the codes.
“Any party claiming that they do not have the access codes, ask them if they were at the training on Thursday and Friday. Were they expecting to have been given codes without the training?
‘’The training continues and if by Monday(today) they have not got the codes, then they can now make such claims,” she said.
ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi and PRP’s Mohammed Ishaq said the codes were yet to be issued. A Labour Party official also said no party had received the code as of Saturday and added: “We were told the codes may be ready by Monday. As I speak to you, no political party has been issued the code you are talking about.”
Meanwhile, NNPP National Secretary Dipo Olayoku said INEC had started issuing access codes for the Osun governorship election but was unsure if the process had begun for the 2027 general elections.
The BOOT Party confirmed it had been notified. National Chairman Sunny Adenuga said: “INEC has informed us that the code is ready. We will collect it early next week.”
