The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has put the responsibility for disputed candidate names in the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) squarely on the political party, saying its records show that the candidates in question were formally submitted and endorsed by the party’s leadership.
The commission’s position came in response to allegations by the NDC that INEC had removed candidates validly nominated by the party and replaced them with names it neither nominated nor authorised in some State House of Assembly constituencies.
INEC, however, said the available documentary and electronic records contradicted the allegation, insisting that the disputed names were contained in nomination documents submitted to the commission and duly signed by the NDC National Chairman and National Secretary.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna.
“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,” the commission said.
The development effectively shifts the focus of the controversy from alleged alteration of the NDC candidate list by INEC to the authenticity and circumstances surrounding the documents submitted by the party.
INEC maintained that under Nigerian electoral law, the nomination of candidates remains the exclusive responsibility of political parties and that the commission does not possess the legal authority to select candidates on behalf of parties.
“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,” it stated.
The commission also sought to clarify what it described as a possible misunderstanding of its role during party primaries.
According to INEC, while the commission is legally required to monitor party primaries, such monitoring is an oversight function and does not confer on it the power to determine which individual should emerge as a party’s candidate.
“Monitoring a party’s primary is a statutory oversight function only and confers no power on INEC to choose or impose a candidate,” the commission said.
The commission’s response followed earlier comments by its Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, who said the commission would rely on its electronic and documentary records to establish the origin of the disputed entries.
Oketola had said the commission’s systems made it possible to trace the history of candidate information uploaded to its portal.
“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.
In its latest statement, INEC provided details of the procedures it said had been put in place for the nomination of candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The commission said all 22 registered political parties had designated two technically trained officers to manage their candidate nomination processes after participating in training organised by INEC.
It added that access codes to the candidate nomination portal were subsequently issued directly to the national chairmen of the political parties.
“Ahead of the 2027 election, all 22 registered parties designated two technically trained officers to handle their nomination process, following training organised by the Commission. Thereafter, the portal access codes were issued directly and in person to each party’s National Chairman, and not by proxy,” the commission said.
According to INEC, candidate lists were generated from information submitted by the political parties through the Form EC9 series.
The commission said the relevant forms were jointly signed by the national chairmen and national secretaries of the respective parties, thereby creating an official documentary record of the candidates submitted for the elections.
“List of candidates were generated for each party as submitted by the party jointly signed by the National Chairmen and National Secretaries of the party, making the submission in Form EC9 series (A-G),” it said.
On that basis, the electoral commission rejected the NDC’s claim that it had independently uploaded or manipulated the party’s candidate information.
“Therefore any claim that the Commission independently uploaded or altered candidate information is unfounded and untrue,” INEC declared.
NDC raises alarm
The controversy began after the NDC alleged that names of individuals who were neither nominated nor authorised by the party appeared on INEC’s published candidate list for some State House of Assembly constituencies.
The party claimed that candidates it had legitimately nominated were removed and replaced with individuals whose names were unknown to its leadership.
The NDC said it had identified disputed entries in several constituencies in Anambra State and alleged that a similar situation had occurred in other parts of the country.
The party’s National Chairman, Moses Cleopas, consequently called on INEC Chairman to launch an immediate investigation into the matter and determine how the disputed names came to appear on the commission’s candidate list.
“We call on the INEC chairman to urgently and immediately cause an investigation into the matter and unravel how this came to be,” the party said.
The NDC further alleged that the issue was not restricted to Anambra State, claiming that similar discrepancies had been identified in constituencies in Benue and Imo states.
The allegations raised questions about the integrity of the candidate nomination and publication process as political parties prepare for the 2027 elections.
INEC’s response, however, suggests that the commission intends to resolve the dispute primarily through documentary and electronic evidence rather than competing claims by the parties involved.
By specifically pointing to Form EC9E and the signatures of the NDC National Chairman and National Secretary, the commission has placed emphasis on the formal documents submitted to it as the basis for determining the source of the disputed nominations.
The commission said its candidate nomination portal and documentary records provide an auditable trail through which the origin of entries can be established.
INEC also reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that all political parties operate on a level playing field as the country moves towards the 2027 elections.
“The Commission remains committed to transparency, accountability and providing a level playing field for all stakeholders in the electoral process,” it said.
