By George Mgbeleke <\/p>\n
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that Following the conclusion of the primaries, the Commission is transitioning to the candidate nomination phase, on Friday, 26th June, 2026, issue official access codes to all political parties for the purpose of accessing the Candidate Nomination Portal.<\/p>\n
Making this declaration at the quarterly Consultative meeting with leaders of political parties,INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan assured that access codes will enable designated national officers of political parties to upload the names, personal particulars and other required information relating to nominated candidates.<\/p>\n
” I urge political parties to ensure that their ICT personnel and relevant officers are adequately prepared and that all submissions are completed well before the stipulated deadlines.<\/p>\n
“The portal is fully automated and will close automatically at the expiration of the prescribed period.
\nAnother important component of our preparations for future elections is the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise. The Commission remains committed to expanding voter access and ensuring that all eligible citizens are afforded the opportunity to participate in the democratic process and the data of every registered voters are protected.<\/p>\n
“I therefore wish to reiterate that the current phase of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise provides an important opportunity for eligible Nigerians who have attained the age of eighteen years, as well as voters seeking transfers, corrections or updates of their records, to register and regularise their voter information.”<\/p>\n
On the conflicting judicial pronouncements on the Commission\u2019s Electoral Timetable, Amupitan noted ,”In view of the differing conclusions reached in the judgments and in order to ensure certainty and stability in preparations for the 2027 General Election, the Commission has filed appeals against the decisions and has taken the necessary legal steps to obtain authoritative pronouncements from the Appellate Courts.<\/p>\n
“The Commission\u2019s position remains that the activities contained in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities are not isolated events. They are interrelated operational processes designed to ensure the orderly, transparent and successful conduct of elections. <\/p>\n
“While the Electoral Act prescribes timelines for certain activities, there are several critical electoral processes for which no express statutory timelines are provided but which must necessarily be accommodated within the overall electoral calendar.<\/p>\n
“The absence of coordinated timelines for such activities would create uncertainty, disrupt election planning and undermine the Commission\u2019s constitutional responsibility to organise, undertake and supervise elections in an efficient and credible manner.”<\/p>\n
Shading light on the electoral Act Amendment he said, “These activities include, among others, the submission and verification of party membership registers; the monitoring of party primaries across the Federation; the pre-upload of the names of winners of monitored primaries by political parties on the Commission\u2019s designated portal as an accountability mechanism aimed at strengthening internal party democracy; the nomination process itself; the printing of ballot papers and result sheets; quality assurance procedures; deployment of election materials; training of election personnel; voter education and sensitisation activities; procurement of sensitive materials, the configuration of the BVAS machines and compliance with statutory obligations such as inviting political parties to inspect samples of electoral materials pursuant to Section 42 of the Electoral Act, 2026. <\/p>\n
“Sometimes, environmental factors are also key, such as the Weather that called for the early deployment of sensitive materials and the terrain where those materials are to be deployed.<\/p>\n
“The Commission therefore considers it imperative that all electoral activities be harmonised within a coherent and workable framework that promotes certainty, transparency, administrative efficiency and equal treatment of all political parties.<\/p>\n
” I wish to assure political parties and the Nigerian public that notwithstanding the pending appeals, the Commission remains firmly committed to conducting the 2027 General Election in strict compliance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act and all lawful judicial pronouncements.<\/p>\n
“Turning to party administration and preparations for forthcoming elections, we have issued the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2026 and the Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2026, in line with section 151 of the Electoral Act, 2026.<\/p>\n
” I acknowledge the conclusion of party primaries in the relevant jurisdictions. The primary election process remains the gateway to democratic governance, and its credibility directly impacts the quality and integrity of the electoral process.<\/p>\n
“Following the conclusion of the primaries, the Commission is transitioning to the candidate nomination phase. Accordingly, on Friday, 26th June, 2026, the Commission will issue official access codes to all political parties for the purpose of accessing the Candidate Nomination Portal.<\/p>\n
“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. I urge political parties to ensure that their ICT personnel and relevant officers are adequately prepared and that all submissions are completed well before the stipulated deadlines.<\/p>\n
“The portal is fully automated and will close automatically at the expiration of the prescribed period.
\nAnother important component of our preparations for future elections is the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise. The Commission remains committed to expanding voter access and ensuring that all eligible citizens are afforded the opportunity to participate in the democratic process and the data of every registered voters are protected.<\/p>\n
“I therefore wish to reiterate that the current phase of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise provides an important opportunity for eligible Nigerians who have attained the age of eighteen years, as well as voters seeking transfers, corrections or updates of their records, to register and regularise their voter information.<\/p>\n
“As political parties with structures in every ward and community across the country, I urge you to intensify voter education and mobilisation efforts so that eligible citizens take advantage of this opportunity and subsequently collect their Permanent Voter Cards.”<\/p>\n
On the outcome of the recently concluded primaries Chairman, INTER-PARTY ADVISORY COUNCIL (IPAC), DR. YUSUF MAMMAN DANTALLE noted that unfortunately validated many of the concerns previously raised by the Council.<\/p>\n
Accordingly, IPAC calls on the National Assembly, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, to undertake a comprehensive review of the Electoral Act 2026 with a view to addressing the operational deficiencies revealed during the nomination process. Electoral laws should promote democratic participation, strengthen political institutions, and advance the national interest rather than create avoidable obstacles to effective political competition.<\/p>\n
Elections remain the cornerstone of representative democracy. There is no substitute for a democratic system founded on the free expression of the will of the people. <\/p>\n
“As we prepare for the forthcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States and ultimately the 2027 General Election, we must collectively work to restore public trust and confidence in the electoral process. The credibility of elections is indispensable to democratic legitimacy, political stability, national cohesion, and sustainable development.<\/p>\n
“IPAC therefore urges political actors across the country to embrace issue-based campaigns and reject all forms of violence, intimidation, hate speech, and political extremism. Democracy thrives on healthy competition of ideas, not confrontation and bloodshed.<\/p>\n
“In this regard, the Council strongly condemns the recent incidents of political violence reported in Osun State. We call on all political actors to exercise restraint and place the national interest above partisan considerations. No political ambition is worth the loss of human life, the destruction of property, or the destabilisation of communities.<\/p>\n
“We equally call upon security agencies to discharge their constitutional and statutory responsibilities with professionalism, neutrality, and diligence to ensure a peaceful political environment throughout the electoral cycle.<\/p>\n
“As the nation’s electoral management body, INEC occupies a pivotal position in Nigeria’s democratic architecture. The Commission must continue to uphold the highest standards of impartiality, professionalism, transparency, and accountability. It is imperative that all political parties and candidates are accorded equal treatment and provided with a level playing field.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By George Mgbeleke The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that Following the conclusion of the primaries, the Commission is transitioning to the candidate nomination phase, on Friday, 26th June, 2026, issue official access codes to all political parties for the purpose of accessing the Candidate Nomination Portal. Making this declaration at the quarterly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14451"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14455,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14451\/revisions\/14455"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}