The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has confirmed that it has successfully uploaded the names and particulars of its candidates, including presidential candidate Sandy Onor, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nomination portal after receiving the commission’s access code.
The Wike-backed leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has completed the upload of its candidates for the 2027 general elections after receiving access to INEC’s online nomination portal. The development marks another significant chapter in the party’s prolonged leadership dispute as rival factions continue to contest control of the opposition party.
Speaking on behalf of the National Working Committee, PDP National Publicity Secretary Jungudo Mohammed confirmed that the party had successfully uploaded the names of its presidential, governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly candidates to the commission’s portal.
According to him, the successful upload demonstrates that the leadership recognised administratively by INEC has fulfilled the commission’s requirements for candidate submission ahead of the 2027 elections. Among those uploaded, he said, are presidential candidate Senator Sandy Onor and other candidates who emerged from the party’s primaries.
The development comes amid an intense leadership battle between the Wike-backed National Working Committee and the Tanimu Turaki-led faction, both of which have conducted parallel primaries and produced separate candidates for the 2027 elections.
Although the Wike faction has received the technical access code needed to upload candidates, the rival camp maintains that the broader legal dispute over the party’s leadership has not been resolved and insists that access to the portal does not determine the ultimate legality of candidates.
The Wike-backed leadership urged party members to remain united and continue preparations for the elections, expressing confidence that its candidates would be recognised by the electoral commission.
Meanwhile, the Turaki faction has continued to challenge the legitimacy of the rival leadership through legal and political channels, insisting that the courts—not merely administrative access to the INEC portal—will ultimately determine which faction has the lawful authority to nominate candidates.
The successful upload of candidates represents an important administrative milestone for the Wike-backed PDP leadership. However, with parallel candidates already produced by rival factions and multiple legal disputes still pending, the party’s internal crisis remains unresolved and could continue to shape its preparations for the 2027 general elections.