As preparations for the 2027 general elections enter a critical phase, anxiety has gripped Nigeria’s political opposition over the delay by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in releasing the access codes required for political parties to upload the names of their nominated candidates.
Despite expectations that the electoral umpire would issue the portal access details to clear the path for the statutory submission of candidates, several major opposition platforms are battling technical difficulties that could screen them out of the race, triggering fears of a deliberate administrative squeeze on the opposition space. Barely two weeks ago, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, ordered INEC to deregister African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties over their alleged failure to meet constitutional requirements for continued existence.
The affected parties included the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
While the ADC and four other parties were navigating the murky waters of the case in the Appeal court, the newly formed Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) was not left out of this sudden judicial bombshell.
