2027: INEC speaks on alleged replacement of NDC candidates

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that it removed the party’s nominated candidates for some State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra and Benue states and replaced them with unauthorised names.

In a statement by its spokesperson, Mohammed Haruna, INEC said the commission had no legal authority to select, insert or substitute candidates for political parties.

The commission said the allegations were unfounded, insisting that political parties, not INEC, are responsible for nominating and submitting their candidates for elections.

“Candidate nomination is, by law, the exclusive responsibility of political parties. INEC has no legal authority to select, insert, or substitute a candidate for any party,” the statement read in part.

INEC’s position followed allegations by the NDC accusing the electoral commission of “systematically removing” its candidates for the 2027 general elections and replacing them with “strange names” unknown to the party.

INEC said its monitoring of party primaries was only a statutory oversight function and did not give the commission the power to choose or impose candidates on political parties.

NDC’s allegation

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the NDC accused INEC of publishing names of people it said were not authorised by the party as its candidates, particularly for State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra State.

The party’s National Chairman, Moses Zuwoghe, said the development was a deliberate attempt to undermine the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

Mr Zuwoghe specifically alleged that 10 names published by INEC as NDC candidates in Anambra were unknown to the party and had not been submitted by its leadership.

He listed the affected candidates as Umennaaijiego Jude Ezenwa for Onitsha South I; Akpotue Obinna Chibuike for Onitsha South II; Nwankwo Chiemerie for Orumba North; Maduagwu Eric K. for Anaocha I; Ngoebisi Obinna for Idemili North; Isintume Charles for Njikoka; Nwachukwu Nonso for Nnewi South; Okeke Ifeanyi Akunne for Nnewi South II; Nnonyelu Samson for Ayamelum; and Azotani Chuks Francis for Dunukofia.

The party alleged that after its primaries and appeal process, its final list of candidates was uploaded to the INEC portal, but some names were kept on “pending” status.

According to the NDC chairman, INEC officials told the party that the names were already in the commission’s system because they had been submitted by INEC officials who monitored the party’s primaries.

The party subsequently accused the commission of bypassing its leadership to obtain Form EC9 directly from some of the affected candidates and publishing their names as its candidates.

The NDC said it was investigating the matter and threatened to seek legal redress to have what it described as “imposters” removed from the list.

INEC reacts

But INEC said the names in question were contained in documents submitted by the NDC itself.

The INEC spokesperson, Mr Haruna, said that ahead of the 2027 elections, all 22 registered political parties designated two technically trained officers to handle their candidate nomination processes.

He said INEC trained the officers before each party was given access to the commission’s nomination portal.

According to him, the portal access codes were issued directly to the national chairpersons of the parties and not to proxies.

He said the lists of candidates submitted through the portal were generated from EC9E forms jointly signed by the national chairpersons and national secretaries of the respective parties.

Mr Haruna said INEC had in its possession Form EC9E containing the names of the candidates in dispute and that the document was duly signed by the NDC’s national chairman and national secretary.

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“As a matter of fact, the Commission has in its possession Form EC9E where these candidates were listed and submitted to the Commission duly signed by the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the party,” he said.

The commission therefore rejected the suggestion that it independently uploaded or altered the NDC’s candidate information.

INEC said its position was consistent with its earlier explanation that it only uploaded the list of candidates arising from the party’s primaries and submitted to it through the prescribed process.

The commission said it remained committed to transparency, accountability and providing a level playing field for all political parties and other stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general elections.