The National Democratic Coalition (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of denying it the necessary access code to upload the names of its candidates onto the commission’s nomination portal, as the party struggles to avert a Federal High Court judgment ordering its deregistration.
The allegation was made as the NDC races against time to halt the enforcement of the court order, which threatens the party’s ability to participate in future elections, including the 2027 general polls.
INEC had originally scheduled the release of access codes to political parties for Friday, June 26, but shifted the date to Monday, June 29, to facilitate a smoother upload process for nominated candidates, sources within the commission and political parties confirmed.
Speaking on the development, NDC National Publicity Secretary Osa Director said party officials visited INEC to collect the required credentials for the mandatory online submission of candidates but were told officials would “get back” to them.
“The party’s failure to upload its candidates was not due to any fault of the NDC, but was caused by its inability to obtain the required access code from INEC,” Director stated.
He added that the party would return to the commission on Monday to make a fresh request while simultaneously pursuing legal remedies.
“We will go back there by tomorrow. I believe by tomorrow we must have filed a stay of execution in court,” Director said.
According to the spokesperson, the NDC’s legal team has already begun the process of filing an application for a stay of execution to suspend the deregistration order pending the outcome of the party’s appeal.
Until the court grants the stay, the judgment directing the deregistration of the NDC remains in force.
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