Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has firmly dismissed allegations by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that it granted a rival faction of the African Democratic Congress access to its candidate nomination portal, insisting that only the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the party is recognised by the electoral body . A senior INEC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Online on Monday, 13 July 2026, rejected the claims made by Atiku's Media Office that the commission had issued access codes to the faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe .
The controversy began when Gombe, whom Atiku's camp described as a "pretender" to the ADC national chairmanship, announced on July 11 that he had successfully uploaded the names of his candidates to INEC's candidate nomination portal . Atiku's Media Office accused INEC of unlawfully granting access to Gombe, arguing that the commission's actions were aimed at weakening opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general election and demonstrating political bias . The former vice president's camp also accused INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, of worsening internal crises within opposition parties and advancing President Bola Tinubu's political interests .
However, the INEC official categorically denied that the commission gave Gombe or his associates any access codes. "INEC did not give access codes to Nafiu Gombe as claimed by Atiku's Media Office. INEC operates based on the legal framework guiding elections and the electoral system in Nigeria," the official said, citing the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and INEC's regulations . According to the official, INEC's records recognise only the leadership headed by Senator David Mark as the national chairman of the ADC, with former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola as the national secretary . "If you go to our portal right now, Senator David Mark is the chairman of the ADC, while Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is the Secretary," the official stated .
The commission further insisted that Gombe lacked the legal standing to submit candidates' names through its portal because he is not recognised as the party's chairman. "It's as good as saying that Nafiu Gombe cannot upload the names of candidates on the INEC portal because he is not the officially recognised chairman of the ADC. Gombe, or any of his agents, aides or close allies, did not get any access codes from INEC to upload names of candidates. In fact, the question is, which portal did they upload the names? INEC does not recognise anything from Nafiu Gombe," the official said . The commission also rejected allegations that Amupitan was involved in the internal leadership dispute within the ADC or was acting to undermine opposition parties. "The allegation by Atiku's Media Office that Amupitan is trying to weaken opposition parties is a baseless allegation. The attempt to drag Amupitan into political parties' internal crisis is an exercise in futility," the official stated .
INEC spokesperson Mohammed Haruna also confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the commission only provided login details to the David Mark faction, the only recognised leadership of the party . Haruna said the candidates presented by the ADC are Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate and Rotimi Amaechi as the vice president . The recognised ADC faction had earlier dismissed Gombe's claim as "a blatant lie," questioning: "Where is the evidence of this purported upload by a group of individuals not known by law or the electoral body?" .
The ADC, through its National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, had previously stated that INEC does not issue nomination portal access or nomination codes to a leadership it does not recognise, and that the commission cannot issue two codes to the same party . The party insisted that the details of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, had already been successfully uploaded to the INEC portal .
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