The opening of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal for the submission of candidates for the 2027 general elections has triggered fresh political tensions, with rival factions in major parties battling over control of nomination lists.
According to The PUNCH, the crisis is most pronounced in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where two rival leadership factions are laying claim to the authority to submit candidates to INEC.
The faction recognised by INEC, led by Abdulrahman Mohammed and National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, confirmed that it has received the commission’s access code and has started uploading candidates’ details.
PDP National Organising Secretary Umar Bature said the exercise was underway and would be completed before the deadline, expressing confidence that the party would meet all electoral requirements.
However, the rival Interim National Working Committee led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN) said it had not received the access code. A member of the faction insisted that ongoing court cases over the party’s leadership would determine who ultimately controls the nomination process before the July 18 submission deadline.
INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna said political parties had been collecting portal access codes since June 26. He maintained that the commission would only recognise the PDP leadership upheld by the courts.
Haruna also declined to comment on which PDP faction received nomination documents, saying that responsibility lies with INEC’s pre-election and monitoring department.
The leadership crisis follows the Supreme Court’s split judgment of April 30, which invalidated the PDP national convention held in Ibadan in November 2025. Since then, the Board of Trustees reconstituted an interim leadership, creating parallel structures within the party.
The dispute has also spread to state chapters. In Lagos, uncertainty surrounds the PDP governorship ticket, with Adedeji Doherty and Adetokunbo Pearse both claiming the party’s nomination.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is also facing internal disputes. In Lagos, the party insists that the legislative candidates announced after its primaries remain valid despite complaints from aggrieved aspirants.
The Edo APC confirmed it had uploaded its candidates after the party’s national appeals committee resolved petitions arising from the primaries.
State chapters of both the APC and PDP in Jigawa also confirmed receiving INEC access codes and have begun uploading candidates, while the Kogi PDP said it would commence uploads after verifying candidates’ documents.
In Benue, successful APC candidates aligned with Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume have reportedly received nomination forms, while some candidates loyal to Governor Hyacinth Alia are still awaiting theirs.
The Kwara PDP said it had completed documentation for all its candidates, while some APC House of Assembly candidates in the state were yet to receive nomination forms.
Fresh controversy also erupted in Ondo State, where hundreds of APC women protested against the party’s published candidates’ list. The protesters alleged that the names did not reflect the actual winners of the party’s House of Representatives primaries.
The demonstrators accused party leaders of attempting to impose candidates and called on the national leadership to respect the outcome of the primaries, insisting that the votes of party members should be reflected in the final list submitted to INEC.
With the candidate submission deadline approaching, unresolved legal battles and internal disputes continue to cast uncertainty over the nomination process in several political parties.
