The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refuted allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that electoral officials altered its candidate list for the 2027 general election. The commission maintained that it lacks both the statutory and constitutional authority to nominate or substitute candidates for any political party. The response follows claims by the NDC […]
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refuted allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that electoral officials altered its candidate list for the 2027 general election.
The commission maintained that it lacks both the statutory and constitutional authority to nominate or substitute candidates for any political party.
The response follows claims by the NDC that several of its validly nominated candidates—particularly across state House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra State—were removed and replaced with unauthorized individuals.
Speaking on the matter, Adedayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, clarified that candidate nomination remains the exclusive responsibility of political parties under the Electoral Act 2026.
He stated that the commission is launching an internal audit to trace how the disputed entries appeared on its official system.
“For the avoidance of doubt, INEC does not nominate candidates for political parties,” Oketola said. “The candidate nomination portal provided by the commission is the platform through which political parties submit particulars using access credentials issued to them. Every activity is electronically recorded, making it possible to objectively establish the source and history of any entry.”
Addressing allegations that INEC officials bypassed party leadership to obtain candidate forms (Form EC9) directly from unauthorized aspirants, Oketola urged the NDC to provide concrete proof to aid formal investigations.
He said INEC will review digital records and access logs for the contested Anambra State constituencies to determine where the entries originated.
The commission called on the NDC to submit evidence identifying any specific officials implicated in the alleged misconduct.
He noted that monitoring party primaries does not give the commission authority to choose a candidate, nor does it override internal party disputes, which must be resolved through legal channels.
Also, the National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, dismissed the allegation, saying the commission did not substituted the names of candidates submitted by the NDC.
Haruna said political parties are given access codes to upload the names of their candidates to INEC’s portal, suggesting that any discrepancy could have arisen from the party’s internal processes or another source.
“It wasn’t you that, I hear that NDC say we substituted the name. I don’t know if you saw the story record. That can’t be true because they are the ones who we give the code to upload,” he said.
He added that if the NDC had raised concerns over the names appearing on the list, “they have their own internal or other” processes that could explain the discrepancy.
The commissioner’s comments came amid the NDC’s allegation that INEC replaced candidates nominated by the party with names it said it did not submit.
