INEC Draws the Line: Only Recognised Party Leaders Can Access Candidate Portal
INEC has clarified that access codes for its nomination portal are strictly issued to legally recognized political party leadership, refuting claims by a faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) regarding candidate uploads. Both INEC and the ADC have dismissed these reports as false, with the party calling for an investigation into alleged forgery to uphold electoral integrity.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has clarified that access codes for uploading candidates to its nomination portal are issued only to political parties whose national leadership is legally recognised.
The clarification followed claims that a faction of the African Democratic Congress, led by Nafiu Bala, had uploaded candidates for the 2027 elections.
A senior Commission official dismissed the allegation, stressing that INEC only deals with party executives officially recognised in its records.
“I am just hearing that from you. But if you check the INEC official portal, you will see the names of the party officials legally recognised by law, and we are dealing with them based on our established criteria,” the official said.
INEC is expected to publish the political parties that successfully submitted candidates, alongside the names of their nominees, after the nomination exercise scheduled to end on July 14.
The controversy began after social media reports claimed that the Nafiu Bala-led group had obtained access to the Commission’s nomination portal and uploaded a presidential candidate and other nominees.
The ADC’s recognised leadership rejected the allegation, describing it as “a blatant lie.” The party maintained that INEC cannot issue nomination access codes to a leadership it does not officially recognise.
ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi also argued that it would be impossible for the Commission to issue two separate nomination codes to different factions of the same political party.
“Otherwise, every impostor would simply upload names to the portal and proclaim themselves the authentic leadership of a political party. That is plainly not how the law or the Commission’s processes work,” Abdullahi said.
The dispute comes amid a wider leadership battle within the party. Earlier in 2026, INEC published its official position on a Court of Appeal ruling concerning the ADC leadership crisis, reinforcing the Commission’s reliance on court decisions and its official records when determining recognised party executives.
The ADC has challenged those behind the nomination claims to provide evidence showing that individuals outside the leadership recognised by law and INEC gained access to the portal.
It also called on the electoral commission to investigate alleged forgery and the unauthorised use of documents purportedly issued by INEC.
The party warned that the circulation of allegedly false documents could create confusion and weaken public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system.
INEC’s Candidate Nomination Portal was created to provide a traceable and accountable process for submitting and validating candidates’ information. Restricting access to recognised party officials is therefore intended to prevent unauthorised groups from presenting candidates in the name of registered political parties.