ABUJA — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that it removed the party’s nominated candidates from some State Houses of Assembly constituencies in Anambra and Benue and replaced them with unauthorised names.
INEC, in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Mohammed Kudu Haruna, described the allegation as unfounded, insisting that candidate nomination was the exclusive responsibility of political parties.
Haruna said the commission had no legal authority to select, insert or substitute candidates for any political party, adding that its monitoring of party primaries was only a statutory oversight function and did not empower it to impose candidates on parties.
He said that ahead of the 2027 general elections, all 22 registered political parties designated two technically trained officers to handle their candidate nomination processes after undergoing training organised by INEC.
According to him, the commission subsequently issued the nomination portal access codes directly and in person to the national chairmen of the parties, while candidate lists were generated from submissions jointly signed by the national chairmen and national secretaries in the prescribed Form EC9 series.
“Therefore, any claim that the Commission independently uploaded or altered candidate information is unfounded and untrue,” Haruna said.
He added that INEC was in possession of Form EC9E containing the names of the disputed candidates and bearing the signatures of the NDC National Chairman and National Secretary.
The commission’s clarification followed allegations by the NDC that names of persons it neither nominated nor authorised had been published as its candidates for some State House of Assembly constituencies, particularly in Anambra.
The NDC National Chairman, Sen. Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, had called on the INEC Chairman to investigate how the disputed names appeared on the commission’s candidate list.
Zuwoghe alleged that the development affected several constituencies in Anambra and that similar concerns had arisen in Benue and Imo states. He maintained that the disputed candidates did not emerge from the party’s nomination process.
The NDC had particularly identified 10 names published as its candidates in various Anambra State House of Assembly constituencies, including Onitsha South I and II, Orumba North, Anaocha I, Idemili North, Njikoka I, Nnewi South I and II, Ayamelum and Dunukofia.
Zuwoghe said the party had concluded its primaries and appeal process and produced what it regarded as its final list before the alleged discrepancies emerged on the INEC portal.
He further alleged that the party was conducting its own investigation into the matter and threatened to seek legal redress to restore its authentic candidates.
INEC, however, maintained that its electronic and documentary records could establish the source of the disputed entries and reiterated its commitment to transparency, accountability and a level playing field for all political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
