The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately clarify widespread reports alleging that it has issued the Candidates’ Access Code for the upload of candidates for the 2027 general elections to a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) whose claim to the party’s leadership remains the subject of subsisting judicial pronouncements and ongoing litigation.
The prominent Pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA asserts that the Professor Joash Amupitan-led electoral commission owes Nigerians a duty of transparency. Silence on such a fundamental issue only fuels public suspicion and undermines confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the electoral process.
If indeed the reports are true that the Candidates’ Access Code has been issued to the faction associated with the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, then INEC must immediately explain the legal basis for taking such a consequential administrative step despite the existence of appellate court decisions and an ongoing suit before the Federal High Court seeking judicial determination of the authentic leadership of the PDP.
HURIWA recalls that the Court of Appeal recently delivered a judgment holding that the tenure of the former National Legal Adviser, A.K. Ajibade, SAN, expired in December 2025 and that there was no credible evidence before the court establishing his purported re-election. The appellate court consequently held that any subsequent letter of instruction issued by him lacked legal validity, thereby significantly undermining the legal foundation upon which the March 29, 2026 convention conducted by the Wike-aligned faction was predicated.
The implication of that judgment is that serious legal questions remain regarding the legitimacy of actions flowing from the disputed convention. These questions cannot simply be ignored by an institution constitutionally required to conduct elections with strict neutrality and fidelity to the rule of law.
HURIWA further notes that the Board of Trustees of the PDP, led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, constituted an interim National Working Committee headed by Chief Kabir Tanimu Turaki, SAN, and has already instituted Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026 before the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking orders compelling INEC to recognise the Turaki-led interim National Working Committee as the lawful leadership of the party.
It is a matter of public record that INEC has entered appearance in the suit and that the Federal High Court has fixed July 7, 2026, for the hearing of all pending applications and the substantive case after ordering accelerated hearing because of the Commission’s electoral timetable.
Equally significant is the fact that counsel to the plaintiffs informed the court that political parties had already begun receiving Candidates’ Access Codes for the upload of candidates, while requesting that the Turaki-led leadership also be issued the code to avoid irreparable prejudice pending the determination of the case.
In these circumstances, HURIWA believes that INEC must exercise utmost restraint. The Commission must not take any administrative step capable of foisting a fait accompli on the court or rendering the pending proceedings merely academic.
Nigeria’s electoral umpire has a constitutional obligation not merely to organise elections but to inspire confidence that it acts without fear, favour or political influence. Any action that appears to pre-empt the outcome of pending litigation would amount to a grave disservice to constitutional democracy.
If INEC has not issued the Candidates’ Access Code to any PDP faction, it should state so unequivocally and reassure Nigerians that it will abide by whatever lawful orders ultimately emerge from the courts.
However, if the Commission has already issued the code to any faction notwithstanding the subsisting legal disputes, HURIWA urges it to immediately review that decision in the interest of justice, fairness and constitutional order. The Commission should ensure that its actions remain fully consistent with extant judicial pronouncements and should avoid conduct capable of compromising the pending proceedings before the Federal High Court. If INEC is to issue the Access Code it should inevitably be issued to the interim leadership put in place by the Board of Trustees.
The integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process depends not only on free elections but on the unwavering commitment of every public institution to the supremacy of the Constitution and the authority of the courts.
HURIWA therefore urges INEC to act strictly within the law, maintain institutional neutrality and avoid any action that could deepen political tensions or erode public confidence in the democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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