By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that political parties will receive official access codes on June 26, 2026, to begin the nomination of candidates for the 2027 General Election through the Commission’s Candidate Nomination Portal.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash O. Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday during the Commission’s Second Quarterly Consultative Meeting with leaders of political parties at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
According to the Chairman, the issuance of access codes marks the transition from the completion of party primaries to the candidate nomination stage of the electoral process.
“On Friday, June 26, 2026, the Commission will issue official access codes to all political parties for the purpose of accessing the Candidate Nomination Portal,” Amupitan said.
“These access codes will enable designated national officers of political parties to upload the names, personal particulars and other required information relating to nominated candidates.”
He urged political parties to ensure that their ICT personnel and relevant officials are fully prepared ahead of the nomination exercise, warning that the automated portal would shut down immediately after the deadline expires.
The INEC Chairman also expressed satisfaction with preparations for the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti State scheduled for June 20, 2026.
He revealed that the state now has 1,059,360 registered voters, following the addition of 66,664 new voters through the Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
INEC also invalidated 2,103 cases of double registration to protect the integrity of the voters’ register.
Amupitan said logistics, election technology deployment, personnel training and stakeholder engagements were progressing according to schedule, assuring that all 2,445 polling units across the state would open simultaneously at 8:30 a.m. on election day.
INEC further confirmed that several bye-elections will take place on June 20 alongside the Ekiti governorship poll.
The affected constituencies include the Enugu North Senatorial District, Nasarawa North Senatorial District, Rivers South East Senatorial District, Ondo South Senatorial District, Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency and Zuru State Constituency.
INEC Appeals Court
The Commission also confirmed it has appealed two recent Federal High Court judgments that questioned aspects of its timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 General Election.
Amupitan maintained that electoral activities are interconnected and require coordinated timelines to guarantee orderly, transparent and credible elections.
He said the Commission was seeking definitive clarification from appellate courts on the scope of its constitutional and statutory powers regarding electoral scheduling.
While reaffirming INEC’s commitment to conducting free, fair and credible elections, the Chairman called on political parties to uphold democratic principles, conduct transparent primaries, discourage violence, vote-buying and hate speech, and promote issue-based campaigns.
He also urged parties to intensify voter education and mobilization efforts as the Continuous Voter Registration exercise continues nationwide.
“The success of the 2027 General Election will depend not only on the preparedness of the Commission but also on the commitment of political parties to uphold democratic principles and the rule of law,” he stated.
INEC said it remains committed to providing a level playing field for all political parties and ensuring that every valid vote counts in the 2027 electoral process.
