The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that nine registered political parties have collected the access codes required to upload the particulars of their presidential and National Assembly candidates ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The INEC candidate access codes process forms part of the commission’s nomination timetable, with political parties expected to complete online submissions within the approved window for the upcoming elections. According to INEC National Commissioner for Voter Education and Publicity, Mohammed Haruna, the commission had issued access credentials to nine political parties as of the close of business on Monday.
Speaking in Abuja, Haruna explained that the affected parties include the Accord, Action Alliance, African Democratic Congress, All Progressives Congress, Labour Party, Nigeria Democratic Congress, National Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, and the Social Democratic Party.
He clarified that obtaining the INEC candidate access codes is the responsibility of each political party. According to him, parties must approach the electoral commission to collect the credentials rather than expecting INEC officials to deliver them to party offices. Haruna further stated that anyone collecting the access code on behalf of a political party must present an official authorisation letter issued by the party’s leadership before the commission can release the credentials.
The national commissioner said INEC has already released detailed guidelines governing the nomination of candidates and has conducted training sessions for political party officials to ensure compliance with the established procedures.
He advised all participating parties to study the requirements carefully and avoid errors that could delay or invalidate their submissions during the nomination process. Haruna also warned against postponing submissions until the closing hours of the nomination window.
According to him, although INEC has extended its submission deadline to midnight on the final day to accommodate political parties, organisations that wait until the last minute would bear responsibility for any technical or administrative challenges encountered.
Under INEC’s approved timetable, political parties are expected to submit nomination forms for presidential and National Assembly candidates through the commission’s online nomination portal between June 27 and July 11.
Following the conclusion of that phase, the commission has scheduled submissions for governorship and State House of Assembly candidates from July 18 to August 8. The INEC candidate access codes exercise represents one of the early administrative stages in the build-up to the 2027 general elections, as political parties continue preparations to field candidates across the country.
