The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has raised an alarm over the alleged substitution of its candidates in the list of candidates recently published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party accused INEC of removing names of candidates duly nominated through its internal processes and replacing them with individuals it said were neither selected nor authorised by the party.
In a statement, the NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas said the development became apparent following INEC’s publication of the list of candidates for the State Houses of Assembly elections.
Cleopas said the party was particularly concerned about the situation in Anambra State, where he alleged that nine names published under the NDC platform were unknown to the party and did not emerge from its nomination process.
He described the development as disturbing and called on the INEC Chairman to immediately investigate how the disputed names came to be uploaded and published as NDC candidates.
The party identified the affected constituencies as Onitsha South 1, Onitsha South 2, Orumba North, Anaocha 1, Idemili North, Njikoka 1, Nnewi South, Nnewi South 2 and Ayamelum.
According to the NDC chairman, the party had concluded its primaries and appeal process in Anambra before stakeholders, party leaders, representatives of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and members of the party’s appeals panel agreed on a final list of candidates.
He said the approved list was subsequently uploaded to the INEC portal using the access code provided to the party by the commission.
Cleopas alleged that, despite the submission, INEC officials kept nine names on “Pending” status, claiming that the names were already in the commission’s system and had been submitted by officials who monitored the NDC primaries.
He said the party formally objected to the disputed names and submitted the identities of its preferred candidates, alongside the necessary covering letter, but alleged that INEC refused to alter the entries.
The NDC chairman further alleged that INEC subsequently obtained Form EC-9 directly from the disputed individuals, bypassing the party, and proceeded to upload and publish their names as the party’s candidates.
He described the alleged action as unacceptable and contrary to the Electoral Act and INEC’s own guidelines.
Cleopas argued that if the commission had concerns about the candidates submitted by the party, it could have left the affected positions blank pending clarification rather than publishing individuals the party did not recognise as its candidates.
The NDC also alleged that similar discrepancies had occurred in other states, including Benue and Imo, describing the development as an emerging pattern that could undermine opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
“We call on the INEC Chairman to urgently and immediately cause an investigation into the matter and unravel how this came to be,” the NDC chairman said.
The party said it had commenced its own investigation into the matter, adding that its preliminary findings allegedly suggested the involvement of some INEC officials in the process.
Cleopas maintained that the development had created confusion and dissatisfaction among the party’s members and supporters, while warning that continued publication of unauthorised names could damage public confidence in the electoral process.
He vowed that the NDC would pursue the matter to its logical conclusion and seek legal redress to have what it described as its authentic candidates restored.
The chairman said the party would approach a court of competent jurisdiction over the disputed nominations, while urging members of the public and NDC supporters to disregard the names it does not recognise as its candidates.
INEC had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of the NDC’s statement.
