The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that it removed the party’s nominated candidates for the 2027 general elections and replaced them with unauthorised names.
The claims, focused mainly on several State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra State, were addressed by INEC’s Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola.
In a post on X, the NDC accused INEC officials of uploading and publishing nine names the party said it never authorised or submitted as its candidates for Anambra State House of Assembly seats.
NDC National Chairman Moses Zuwoghe described the development as especially troubling because Anambra is the home state of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Oketola stressed that INEC has no legal power to nominate candidates for any political party or to substitute its own preferred names for those properly put forward by a party.
“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, Regulations and Guidelines,” he said.
He explained that parties submit candidate details through INEC’s nomination portal using credentials issued to them.
All activity on the portal is electronically logged and can be audited, making it possible to verify the origin of any entry.
Oketola clarified that INEC’s monitoring of party primaries does not give the commission the right to choose candidates. Disputes over who emerged from a primary must be resolved under the Electoral Act and related laws, not by the commission selecting nominees itself.
On the NDC’s specific claim that INEC officials obtained Form EC9 directly from individuals and uploaded them without party approval, Oketola called the allegation serious but said it could be checked against the commission’s electronic and documentary records.
He said INEC would examine the records for the constituencies named by the NDC and invited the party to supply evidence of any official misconduct, which would be investigated.
He emphasised that the commission has no institutional interest in which candidates any party fields and will continue to administer the process impartially.
The NDC listed the disputed names as:
Onitsha South 1 — Umennaajiego Jude Ezenwa; Onitsha South 2 — Akpotue Obinna Chibuike; Orumba North — Nwankwo Chiemerie; Anaocha 1 — Maduagwu Eric K; Idemili North — Ngoebisi Obinna; Njikoka 1 — Isintume Charles; Nnewi South — Nwachukwu Nonso; Nnewi South 2 — Okeke Ifeanyi Akunne; Ayamelum — Nnonyelu Samson E; and Dunukofia — Azotani Chuks Francis.
The party called for an urgent investigation by the INEC Chairman and said similar issues had been observed in other states, including Benue and Imo.
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