The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly rejected claims that it failed to submit the names of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deadline, insisting that it fully complied with the official electoral timetable.
The party’s rebuttal followed a media report alleging that the PDP was among three political parties that failed to upload their presidential tickets before INEC shut down its online nomination portal.
Denying the claim, the opposition party clarified that the particulars of its candidates were successfully submitted well within the timeframe set by the electoral umpire.
In an official statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, the PDP described the report as ‘false, misleading and a gross misrepresentation of facts,’ asserting that all of INEC’s nomination requirements were met.
“For the record, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) successfully uploaded the names and particulars of its Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates to the INEC nomination portal at exactly 11:50 a.m. on Thursday, 10 July 2026, in full compliance with the Commission’s requirements and within the stipulated timeline,” Jungudo stated.
The PDP expressed surprise that the report was published without any attempt by the media platform to verify the information with the party’s leadership, especially since the story relied on an unnamed source.
“It is therefore surprising that a reputable newspaper such as a major news platform chose to publish a report founded on unverified information attributed to an anonymous source without seeking confirmation from the party,” the statement read.
According to the PDP, the publication completely ignored the fundamental principles of journalism, warning that such unverified reports could easily mislead the public and create a false impression regarding the party’s compliance with the ongoing electoral process.
Jungudo added: “Journalism demands accuracy, fairness, and verification.
“Unfortunately, these basic principles were ignored in the publication, resulting in the dissemination of false information capable of misleading the public and creating an erroneous impression about the PDP’s compliance with the electoral process.”
Consequently, the party has demanded an immediate retraction, a public apology, and a formal correction from the media outlet, insisting that its clarification be given the same prominence as the initial inaccurate report.
“We therefore call on Daily Trust to immediately apologise and retract the inaccurate report, publish a correction, and accord this rebuttal the same prominence in the interest of fairness, professionalism, and responsible journalism,” the party said.
