Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has firmly denied allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress that it removed candidates nominated by the party for the 2027 general elections and replaced them with names allegedly unknown to the party. The dispute centres mainly on several State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra State, the home state of the party's presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
In a statement on Sunday, NDC National Chairman Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe accused INEC of publishing nine names in Anambra that were neither nominated at the party's primaries nor submitted to the commission. The party listed the disputed names as Umennaajiego Jude Ezenwa (Onitsha South 1), Akpotue Obinna Chibuike (Onitsha South 2), Nwankwo Chiemerie (Orumba North), Maduagwu Eric K (Anaocha 1), Ngoebisi Obinna (Idemili North), Isintume Charles (Njikoka 1), Nwachukwu Nonso (Nnewi South), Okeke Ifeanyi Akunne (Nnewi South 2), Nnonyelu Samson E (Ayamelum), and Azotani Chuks Francis (Dunukofia).
Zuwoghe alleged that after the party's primaries and appeal process, stakeholders agreed on a final list of candidates, which was signed off and uploaded to the INEC portal using the party's access code. He claimed that INEC officials subsequently kept nine of the names on "Pending" status and later collected Form EC-9 directly from the disputed individuals and uploaded them without the party's authorisation. The party warned that it would seek judicial intervention if the matter was not resolved.
However, INEC's Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, dismissed the allegations, stressing that the commission has no legal authority to nominate candidates for political parties or substitute candidates validly nominated by them. "For the avoidance of doubt, INEC does not nominate candidates for political parties. The nomination of candidates is the responsibility of political parties, subject to compliance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026 and other applicable laws," Oketola said.
He explained that political parties submit their candidates' particulars through the commission's candidate nomination portal using access credentials issued for that purpose. He added that all activities on the portal are electronically recorded and can be verified through the commission's records and audit trail. "It is therefore possible to establish objectively the history and source of entries relating to any candidate whose name appears on the portal," he said.
Oketola also dismissed any suggestion that INEC's monitoring of party primaries gives the commission the power to select candidates. "Neither does a report made by officials who monitor a primary confer upon the Commission the power to choose a candidate for the political party," he said. On the NDC's specific allegation that INEC officials obtained Form EC9 directly from individual aspirants, Oketola described the claim as serious but said it could be verified from the commission's records.
"Rather than make categorical assertions on matters that can readily be established from those records, the Commission will examine the relevant records relating to the constituencies identified by the NDC," he said. He urged the party to provide evidence and identify any officials it believed were involved, assuring that credible allegations of misconduct would be investigated. Oketola stressed that the commission has no institutional interest in the choice of candidates made by any political party, adding that its responsibility is to administer the electoral process impartially and in accordance with the law.
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