Fear Grips Parties As INEC Publishes Candidates’ List Today

There is growing anxiety in most of the registered political parties as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prepares to publish the list of presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general election today.

Section 29 (3) of the Electoral Act, 2026 (As amended), mandates INEC to publish the list of nominated candidates “within 21 days of the receipt of the personal particulars of the candidate… in the constituency where the candidate intends to contest the election.”

The commission had opened its portal and issued access codes to political parties for the nomination and upload of names and particulars of their elected presidential and National Assembly candidates on June 26.

The exercise was supposed to end on July 11, but was extended to July 14. It is expected that INEC will publish the names and particulars on August 1, 2026.

While the names and particulars of the presidential candidates will be published in the commission’s offices across the country, including the headquarters in Abuja, the particulars of the National Assembly candidates will be published in their individual constituencies, for claims and objections.

Section 29(5) of the Act provides that any person who believes that any information submitted by a candidate is false may file a suit at the Federal High Court seeking a declaration that the information contained in the affidavit or other documents is false.

Among candidates said to have been uploaded by their parties include incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC),

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Donald Duke of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), among others. But the greatest anxiety is among National Assembly candidates, particularly in the APC and the NDC.

Most aspirants who were declared winners at the primaries had their names substituted by the leadership of the various parties. Also, most of the 433 are factionalised, leading to claims and counterclaims by the factions that they were the ones recognized by the electoral umpire.

In ADC, for instance, Mr. Nafiu Bala Gombe claimed that INEC issued his faction access code to upload the list of its nominated candidates.

Although INEC denied it, Nigerians will wait until the publication of the list to know the faction whose list the commission accepted. There is also the case of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, said INEC issued it the access code and has uploaded the list of its nominated candidates to the portal.

The other faction led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, said it submitted its own list, including the name of former President Goodluck Jonathan, manually because INEC denied them an access code.

As Nigerians await the publication of INEC’s list, the commission will publish the final list before the commencement of the campaign on August 19, 2026.