By Chioma Obinna
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) on Sunday called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to clarify reports that it issued the Candidates’ Access Code for the 2027 general elections to a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), warning the electoral body against taking actions that could undermine pending court proceedings.
In a press statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA said INEC owed Nigerians a duty of transparency, noting that its silence on the matter was fueling public suspicion and raising concerns over the integrity of the electoral process.
The group said if reports that the access code had been issued to the faction allegedly aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, were true, the Commission should explain the legal basis for doing so despite ongoing litigation over the authentic leadership of the PDP.
According to HURIWA, the Court of Appeal had ruled that the tenure of the party’s former National Legal Adviser, A.K. Ajibade, SAN, expired in December 2025 and that there was no credible evidence of his re-election, thereby questioning the validity of subsequent actions linked to the March 29, 2026 convention.
