2027 race begins: Nine political parties pick up INEC codes to upload candidates for presidential, NASS polls

INEC Warns Parties: ‘Don’t Wait Till Midnight Deadline’ as Nomination Portal Opens

The countdown to the 2027 general election has officially begun, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirming that nine registered political parties have collected access codes to upload candidates’ particulars for the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this to the _News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)_ in Abuja on Tuesday.

“As of close of work on Monday, nine political parties have collected the access code for the national elections,” Haruna said.

—The 9 Parties That Have Collected Codes So Far—

According to INEC, the parties are:
Accord (A), Action Alliance (AA), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), National Democratic Party (NDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

—“Come to Us, We Won’t Come to You”– INEC

Haruna clarified that it is the duty of parties to approach the Commission’s headquarters to collect the codes.

“It is the responsibility of the political parties participating in an election to approach the commission to collect the code, rather than INEC taking it to individual party secretariats,” he explained.

He added that any representative collecting a code on behalf of a party must present an authorisation letter from the party leadership.

–Nomination Window Now Open–

INEC has already activated its Candidate Nomination Portal (CNP) for the 2027 polls. The Commission fixed June 27 to July 11, 2026 for political parties to submit nomination forms for Presidential and National Assembly candidates online.

Nomination for Governorship and State Assembly candidates will follow from July 18 to August 8, 2026, according to the official INEC timetable.

—“Don’t Blame INEC If You Wait Till Last Minute”—

While noting that INEC has trained party officials on the new guidelines, Haruna cautioned parties against procrastination.

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“INEC has been generous by extending the deadline from the close of work to midnight of the deadline date,” he said.

“If any political party decides to wait until the deadline, INEC cannot be blamed for that.”

The early uptake by 9 parties signals that political mobilization for 2027 is gathering pace, even as the electoral body insists on strict compliance with nomination timelines and procedures.