By Augustine Akhilomen

President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has described the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi as a “miracle centre presidential candidate.”

Bwala was reacting to Obi’s recent interview where he gave condition before agreeing to debate with the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.

In an interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo, Obi had said he would debate with Umahi when he qualifies as a presidential candidate of a political party.


He made the remark against the backdrop of the minister’s declaration that he was ready to debate with Obi over road infrastructure.

However, Bwala in a post on X, questioned how Obi emerged as presidential because he never went through the process of primary election.

Bwala wrote: “Peter Obi is telling Chude on his podcast that if H.E Dave Umah wants to debate him, he should first qualify as a presidential candidate first.

“Funny; the Peter Obi @PeterObi how did he qualify to be a presidential candidate? Did he (Peter Obi) participate in any presidential primaries?

“In fact has he ever participated in any presidential primaries? Imagine a miracle centre presidential candidate questioning a successful governor and performing minister on qualifications.”

The Peoples Democratic Party faction led by FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has announced the successful upload of the names of its presidential candidate, running mate and National Assembly candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Candidate Nomination Portal ahead of the 2027 general election.

The party’s National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday.

Mohammed said the submission demonstrated the party’s commitment to participating fully in the 2027 general election.

“I am pleased to inform all PDP members and Nigerians that our great Party, under my leadership, has successfully uploaded the names of our Presidential Candidate, his Running Mate, and our National Assembly candidates onto the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal,” he said.

“This is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the promise we made that, under my leadership, the PDP will fully participate in the 2027 General Elections. Today, we have taken another decisive step towards fulfilling that promise,” he added.

A screenshot from the INEC PCR Portal accompanying the announcement shows the PDP dashboard with 410 new candidate forms registered, of which 367 have been submitted, and 42 remain pending.

The PDP chairman said the party was awaiting the completion of the upload of its governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates.

He congratulated members of the party on the completion of the latest phase of the nomination process.

“As we await the conclusion of the upload of our Governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates, I, on behalf of the National Working Committee of our Party, extend my heartfelt congratulations to all PDP members across Nigeria and around the world,” he said.

“Together, we will continue to build a stronger, more united Party and a better future for our nation.”

The development comes hours after INEC extended the deadline set for political parties to submit the names of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through the commission’s online nomination portal.

It also follows the announcement by the ruling All Progressives Congress that it had completed the upload of its 471 candidates, including President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, 109 Senate candidates and 360 House of Representatives candidates, to the INEC portal.

The All Progressives Congress has announced the successful upload of its 471 candidates for the presidential and National Assembly elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Candidate Nomination Portal, confirming President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima as the party’s presidential ticket for the 2027 general election.

The submissions comprise the presidential and vice-presidential ticket, 109 Senate candidates and 360 House of Representatives candidates, completing its nominations for the offices covered by the portal.

The announcement was made by the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, in a statement on Sunday, a day after the close of INEC’s portal for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates.

Yilwatda congratulated the party’s candidates, leaders and members on the completion of the exercise.

“I congratulate our candidates, leaders, and members of APC on the successful 100% upload of our Presidential, Vice Presidential, Senate, and House of Representatives candidates on the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP),” he said.

He added, “With this milestone achieved, our focus now shifts to mobilisation and preparations for a successful campaign and decisive victory at the polls.”

The upload confirms Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election, ending months of speculation over whether the APC would retain its current presidential ticket.

The development comes after INEC fixed 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, as the deadline for political parties to submit the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online portal.

According to the commission’s timetable, political parties received access codes to the portal on June 26, while the submission of Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E commenced on June 27 in line with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.