By The Metro 
The Independent National Electoral Commission has said political parties will not be able to upload the names of candidates who did not emerge from primary elections monitored by its officials, as it processes nominations for the 2027 general elections.
Speaking with Nigerian Tribune in Abuja, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission would compare the names submitted by political parties on its Candidate Nomination Portal with reports filed by its election monitors before taking a final decision on the nominations.
Haruna disclosed that INEC had already uploaded the names of candidates who emerged from the primaries conducted by all political parties and was awaiting submissions through the portal.
He also said all 21 registered political parties had received access codes, allowing their authorised national officers to upload the names, personal particulars and other required information of nominated candidates.
He said, “At our own end, we have uploaded those who emerged from the primaries. So, we are waiting for them to come and go to the portal and upload all the forms that they are supposed to upload. And when they do that, we compare what they have brought with the reports from our own monitors, which we have uploaded.”
Haruna said the commission’s portal had been configured to reject any candidate whose name did not correspond with the results already uploaded by INEC from monitored primaries.
He, however, noted that political parties still had the opportunity to substitute candidates in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act after concluding their internal appeal processes.
Explaining how the portal would handle discrepancies, he said, “The way we have configured our portal is such that if it is different, they won’t even be able to upload a new one. But they have their own appeal processes. At the end of the day, there is even a window for substitution in case whoever is there withdraws or dies. It is there in the Electoral Act….
“In the commission, we have to wait until they make their submissions. That is when the commission will sit to see whether to accept or not, of course, depending on how they adhere to their own internal peace mechanisms. Our own role is to make sure they adhere to their own constitutions when we go for monitoring.
“Obviously, if you remember the case of Ahmed Lawan, former Senate President. Initially, they couldn’t substitute because the person who won the primary was the one our platform. Eventually, it went to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court said we can’t tell them that. Whether it is technicality or not, at the end of the day, we have to substitute the person with Lawan.
“So, what I said is that our portal will not accept any name different from the one that we have. But we can only take a decision when they have made submissions. And the commission now sits over it to see whether their submission is consistent with their own party constitution.
“They probably have to explain why they change the name. Like I said, it is when they do that that we will be able to interrogate and take a final decision. Right now, I can’t tell you automatically that if they bring, we will reject. But the way we have configured our portal is such that if what they bring is different from the results that we uploaded, it will reject it. But the final outcome depends on their appeal processes. Each party has their own appeal.”
Haruna also confirmed that all registered political parties had received access to the portal.
“All of them have received the access codes. I think the last one to receive the access codes was NNPP (last week). All of them have received their access codes. The ball is now in their court.”
On the reported request by the All Progressives Congress to replace some National Assembly candidates, the national commissioner said the commission had yet to take a decision.
“The commission has not met to take any decision on that. So, I can’t tell you categorically that we will accept or reject.”
The APC recently revised its list of National Assembly candidates after its National Working Committee adopted the recommendations of the party’s Primary Election Appeal Committee, replacing several senatorial and House of Representatives candidates across Kogi, Abia, Benue, Taraba, Ondo, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna and Ebonyi states.
INEC began issuing access codes for its Candidate Nomination Portal to political parties on June 26, 2026, following a two-day training for party officials on the use of the platform. Candidate nomination commenced on June 27.
Under the commission’s revised timetable, political parties are expected to submit the names of their presidential and National Assembly candidates between June 27 and July 11, 2026.
A top source in the commission told Nigerian Tribune that INEC would release the names of candidates after political parties complete the upload of their nominations on the portal.
According to the revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 General Election, the Presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on Saturday, January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Assembly elections are scheduled for Saturday, February 6, 2027.