The opening of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s candidate nomination portal has triggered fresh disputes within major political parties, with rival factions and state chapters battling for control of candidate submissions ahead of the July 18 deadline.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s INEC-recognised leadership confirmed it has received the commission’s access code and has commenced uploading candidates for the 2027 general elections, while the rival Tanimu Turaki-led faction said it was yet to receive the code and is awaiting the outcome of pending court cases.
INEC said political parties began collecting their portal access codes on June 26, adding that it would only recognise the PDP leadership affirmed by the courts.
The crisis has also spread to several states, with rival governorship and legislative aspirants in Lagos, Ondo and Benue disputing candidate lists and nomination processes.
In Ondo State, APC women staged a protest against the list released by the party’s national secretariat, alleging that it did not reflect the winners of the House of Representatives primaries.
The APC said candidate lists in states such as Edo remain unchanged after appeals, while the PDP confirmed it had completed documentation and submission processes for its candidates in states including Kwara, Kaduna, Kogi and Jigawa.
The development comes as political parties race to complete candidate uploads following the conclusion of their primaries, with several internal disputes still awaiting resolution before the submission deadline.
