By Rukevwe Odeh

A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed July 7, 2026, to hear all pending applications and the substantive suit filed by the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the party’s interim National Working Committee led by Kabir Turaki.

The hearing date was set by Justice Salim Ibrahim after lawyers representing the parties agreed to exchange all outstanding court documents before the next sitting. The court directed that every process must be filed and served on or before July 6, warning that no further delays would be accepted.

In the suit, the PDP BoT is asking the court to compel INEC to update its official records to reflect the Turaki-led interim leadership ahead of preparations for the 2027 general elections. The plaintiffs argue that the electoral commission is legally obligated to comply with previous court decisions, which they claim nullified the party’s 2025 national convention and upheld the suspension of certain party officials.

The outcome of the case is expected to play a significant role in determining which leadership structure INEC officially recognises as the PDP continues efforts to resolve its internal leadership dispute before the next general election.

By Favour Bibaikefie

Political tensions are escalating across Nigeria as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the process for political parties to upload the names of their candidates for the 2027 general elections.

The development has sparked renewed leadership disputes, protests, and legal battles within several political parties, with rival groups competing for control of candidate nominations ahead of the submission deadline.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) remains at the center of the crisis. The faction currently recognized by INEC confirmed that it has received the commission’s access code and has already started uploading its list of candidates. Party officials expressed confidence that the exercise would be completed before the deadline.

However, the opposing faction insists it has not been granted access to the portal. It maintains that ongoing court proceedings will eventually determine the legitimate leadership of the party before the nomination process is concluded. The disagreement stems from a Supreme Court ruling that nullified the party’s previous national convention, leaving the PDP with parallel leadership structures. INEC has maintained that it will only recognize the faction backed by the courts.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is also facing internal disagreements in some states. In Ondo State, groups of women and youths staged protests, alleging that the candidate list released after the party’s primaries did not reflect the actual outcome of the elections. The protesters accused some party leaders of attempting to impose candidates and demanded that the original results be respected.

Meanwhile, another faction within the APC defended the party’s leadership, arguing that reviewing the primary election results was necessary to address irregularities identified during the process.

Across the country, several political parties have confirmed receiving INEC’s access credentials and have begun uploading their candidates. Nevertheless, unresolved court cases and internal disputes continue to create uncertainty for some aspirants.

Smaller opposition parties, including the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), are also dealing with legal and administrative challenges as they work toward participating fully in the 2027 elections.

Political observers believe the candidate nomination exercise could trigger additional court cases and deepen internal divisions within parties before Nigerians head to the polls in 2027.

By Divine Perezide

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of refusing to provide it with the access code required to upload its candidates’ details on the commission’s online nomination portal.
The party made the allegation while also contending with an ongoing legal dispute following a Federal High Court ruling that ordered its deregistration.
According to the NDC, repeated attempts to obtain the required login credentials from INEC were unsuccessful, preventing it from completing the mandatory candidate nomination process.
Party Claims It Was Denied Access
Speaking on behalf of the party, National Spokesman Osa Director said officials of the NDC visited INEC offices to request the upload credentials but were told the commission would get back to them, which left the process unresolved.
He explained that the delay meant the party could not proceed with submitting its candidates before the court’s deregistration order took effect.
“We went to INEC to collect the access code needed to upload our candidates, but we were told they would respond later,” he said.
The spokesman insisted that the party acted within the required timeframe and fulfilled its obligations by making the necessary request to the electoral body.