The INEC candidate upload process has entered its final phase as political parties intensify efforts to submit candidates’ details before the Independent National Electoral Commission’s July 11 deadline. While major parties reported steady progress, several smaller parties disclosed technical difficulties and unresolved internal issues that could affect timely compliance.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Action Democratic Party (ADP) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) said they were making significant progress in uploading candidates to the INEC portal.
A senior APC official, who spoke anonymously, said the party had encountered no technical challenges during the INEC candidate upload exercise and remained on course to complete submissions before the deadline. Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy to the APC National Chairman, Abimbola Tooki, said the party remained committed to a transparent, fair and credible nomination process that complies with its constitution and internal guidelines.
The APC recently submitted a revised list of candidates after its National Working Committee reviewed petitions arising from the party’s primary elections. The review reportedly resulted in the replacement of six senatorial candidates and 19 House of Representatives candidates. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mohammed Haruna Jungudo, also expressed confidence in the process.
“We are cruising, we are on cruise control. We are fine and have no issues at all. Since we started, everything has been going smoothly.”
He added that the party had recorded no cases of wrongful or unlawful substitution of candidates and urged members to disregard fake nomination forms circulating online. Similarly, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, confirmed that the party had successfully uploaded its presidential and vice-presidential candidates and was progressing with National Assembly nominations.
Not all political parties have enjoyed a smooth experience. National Chairman of the Because Of Our Tomorrow (BOOT) Party, Sonny Adenuga, said the party experienced technical difficulties after receiving access credentials from INEC last week. Although he confirmed that BOOT had reported the issue to the electoral commission, he expressed confidence that the party would complete its submissions before the deadline.
The Labour Party also acknowledged experiencing initial technical issues. National Publicity Secretary Ken Asogwa explained that the challenges mainly resulted from mismatches between candidate details and records already stored in INEC’s automated system. According to him, once candidate particulars were entered in the correct sequence, the upload process proceeded without difficulty.
Beyond technical concerns, some political parties are still addressing internal matters before completing nominations. Several parties are yet to conclude the selection of running mates for governorship candidates, while others continue reconciliation efforts following disputes from their primary elections.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) said it had experienced little difficulty during the upload exercise. National Publicity Secretary Osa Director stated that the party’s reconciliation committee and national leadership were actively resolving outstanding issues from the primaries while remaining confident of meeting the deadline.
Meanwhile, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) National Secretary Dipo Olayoku said he was unaware of the current progress made since the party received access to the portal. The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) declined to comment on the ongoing upload process.
INEC had earlier activated its Candidate Nomination Portal to enable political parties submit Form EC9 and other required documents for presidential, governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly candidates.
With the July 11 deadline fast approaching, the INEC candidate upload exercise has become a key administrative test for political parties as preparations for the 2027 general elections continue. While larger parties report seamless compliance, technical glitches and unresolved nomination issues continue to pose challenges for some smaller political parties racing against time.
