Fresh leadership battles have broken out within several political parties following the release of the Independent National Electoral Commission's candidate nomination portal for the 2027 general elections.
The development has sparked disputes over who has the authority to upload candidates' names, especially in parties battling internal leadership crises.
In the Peoples Democratic Party, the faction led by National Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed and National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu said it had received INEC's access code and had already begun uploading the names of its candidates.
The party's National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, confirmed the development, saying the PDP had received all the required documents from INEC and would complete the upload process before the deadline.
"We have received INEC's access code and the upload of our candidates has already started. We are confident everything will be completed within the stipulated time," Bature said.
However, the rival PDP faction headed by Tanimu Turaki said it had not received the access code. A senior member of the group expressed confidence that the courts would eventually settle the leadership dispute in its favour before the submission deadline.
The faction's spokesman, Ini Ememobong, criticised INEC, accusing the commission of failing to treat opposition parties fairly.
INEC, however, insisted it would only recognise the leadership recognised by the courts.
INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna said political parties had started collecting their portal access codes since June 26.
"As for the PDP, we recognise the leadership recognised by the court. That is the position of the commission," Haruna said.
According to the electoral timetable, political parties received portal access on June 26, while the deadline for uploading candidates is July 18.
The situation has also exposed divisions within state chapters of different political parties.
In Lagos, rival PDP governorship aspirants Adedeji Doherty and Adetokunbo Pearse continue to lay claim to the party's ticket, while candidates aligned with Pearse are expected to meet party leaders for clarification over the nomination process.
The Lagos APC, meanwhile, maintained that the list of candidates produced during its legislative primaries remains valid despite protests by some aspirants.
Across several states, parties confirmed varying levels of progress with the nomination exercise.
In Edo, the APC said it had completed the upload of its candidates after the party's appeals committee cleared successful aspirants.
In Kaduna, PDP House of Assembly hopeful Danjuma Sarki confirmed he had received and submitted his nomination form.
Kogi PDP Chairman Sani Gambo also said the party had received its portal access code and would begin uploading candidates immediately.
Both the APC and PDP in Jigawa confirmed receiving their portal access from INEC, while in Bayelsa, the PDP said the nomination process was progressing smoothly.
In Abia, major parties including the APC, PDP, Labour Party and ADC also confirmed receiving access codes, although most said they were yet to release their final candidate lists.
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The process has not been without controversy.
In Ondo State, hundreds of APC women staged a protest in Akure, rejecting the list of House of Representatives candidates released by the party's national leadership.
The protesters alleged that the published list did not reflect the outcome of the party's primaries and called for the restoration of what they described as the genuine mandate of members.
Meanwhile, political parties in Borno, Adamawa and Kwara said they were either awaiting final approvals or completing internal documentation before concluding uploads to the INEC portal.
With the submission deadline approaching, several parties are expected to intensify internal consultations and legal efforts as they race to finalise their candidate lists for the 2027 elections.
