The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims by the Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it manually submitted its list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, including the nomination of former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate.Executive Branch
The electoral body reiterated that political parties are required to submit the names of their candidates exclusively through its designated electronic nomination portal, casting doubt on the faction’s assertion that it resorted to manual submission after allegedly being denied access to the system.
INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Ita-Messi, made the clarification in an interview with Leadership in Abuja on Friday while responding to the claims made by the PDP faction. 
Although she declined to confirm whether any documents had been received from the group, Ita-Messi stressed that the commission has a clearly defined procedure for the submission of candidates’ names.
“I am not in a position to confirm that to you, but can only tell you that there are procedures for submitting the names of political parties’ candidates to the INEC portal,” she said.
She also questioned the consistency of the faction’s claims, noting that it was contradictory to allege being denied access to the electronic platform while simultaneously claiming to have successfully submitted a list of candidates.
“If the faction claimed that they were denied access to the code, how did they submit the list of their candidates to the commission?” Ita-Messi asked.
INEC’s response comes a day after the Kabiru Turaki-led faction held a press conference in Abuja, where it announced that it had submitted its list of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The faction claimed the list included former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate, alongside nominees for governorship, National Assembly and state House of Assembly positions.
According to the group, it adopted the manual submission process after the commission allegedly refused to provide the access codes required to upload candidates through INEC’s electronic portal.
The faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, maintained that the manual submission complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 despite the alleged denial of access to the online platform.
Ememobong also accused INEC of failing to remain neutral in the ongoing leadership dispute within the PDP, alleging that the commission had ignored relevant facts and judicial decisions relating to the party’s internal crisis.
The leadership tussle within the PDP has produced rival groups laying claim to the party’s national structure, with both sides seeking recognition from the electoral commission ahead of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
INEC, however, has consistently maintained that political parties must comply with its established guidelines and statutory procedures for the nomination and submission of candidates.
