By Okoi Obono-Obla
INEC’s June 26, 2026 Portal Opening: A Litmus Test for Faction-Ridden Parties Ahead of 2026 Polls:
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that on 26 June 2026, its candidate nomination portal will be opened. Political parties will be issued access codes to enable them to upload the names and particulars of candidates who emerged from their primaries for the 2026 general elections.
INEC stated that the access codes will be given only to authorised national officers of political parties, such as National Chairmen and National Secretaries.
This exercise is pursuant to Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which mandates political parties to submit to the Commission the names and personal particulars of candidates who emerge from validly conducted primaries. Section 29(3) further provides that such submission must be done not later than 180 days before the date appointed for the election.
The 26 June 2026 deadline will be decisive for political parties like the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and others that are fragmented or embroiled in litigation over leadership. The ADC reportedly has three factional presidential candidates, while the SDP has two.
This raises a critical question: which of these factions will INEC recognise and issue the access code to for uploading candidates’ names and particulars to its portal? Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, requires political parties to give INEC at least 21 days’ notice of any convention, congress, or meeting convened for nominating candidates, and Section 84(1) insists that primaries must be monitored by the Commission to be valid. The faction whose primary was duly notified to, and monitored by, INEC is the one likely to be recognised.
Conclusion:
The opening of INEC’s portal on 26 June 2026 will test the internal cohesion of political parties. For factionalised parties, recognition by INEC will hinge on strict compliance with Sections 29, 82, and 84 of the Electoral Act, 2026. Without valid primaries monitored by INEC, affected factions risk exclusion from the 2026 ballot.
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