Nigeria Democratic Coalition (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of denying it the access code needed to upload the names of its candidates to the commission’s nomination portal, a development the party says contributed to its current legal predicament.
The allegation comes as the NDC prepares to challenge the judgment of the Federal High Court ordering its deregistration, insisting it was prevented from complying with INEC’s nomination process through no fault of its own.
Addressing journalists, the party’s National Spokesman, Osa Director, said the NDC approached the electoral commission to obtain the access code required for the online submission of its candidates but was unable to secure it.
According to him, officials of the commission assured the party they would respond later, a delay he claimed made it impossible to complete the mandatory upload before the court delivered its ruling.
“We approached INEC to collect the access code to upload the names of our candidates to the INEC portal. They told us that they will get back to us.”
The NDC Director argued that the party’s inability to upload the names of its candidates should not be interpreted as negligence, maintaining that the setback resulted from INEC’s failure to provide the required access credentials.
He disclosed that the NDC would return to the commission to renew its request for the access code while simultaneously pursuing legal steps to prevent the enforcement of the deregistration order.
“We will go back there by tomorrow. I believe by tomorrow we must have filed a stay of execution in court,” he added.
The party maintained that it remains committed to exhausting all legal options to challenge the deregistration and safeguard its participation in Nigeria’s democratic process.
