The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that it removed the party’s validly nominated candidates for some State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra and Benue States and replaced them with unauthorised names.
The Commission said its records showed that the candidates in question were submitted by the party through the established nomination process, rather than being independently inserted or altered by INEC.
According to an official statement by the Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Haruna, the Commission has in its possession Form EC9E containing the names of the candidates and duly signed by the National Chairman and National Secretary of the NDC.
Haruna said candidate nomination was legally the exclusive responsibility of political parties, stressing that INEC had no authority to select, insert or substitute a candidate for any party.
He explained that the Commission’s monitoring of party primaries was a statutory oversight function and did not give it the power to choose or impose candidates on political parties.
According to him, ahead of the 2027 elections, all 22 registered political parties designated two technically trained officers to manage their nomination processes after undergoing training organised by INEC.
He added that the portal access codes were issued directly and in person to the National Chairmen of the respective parties, rather than through proxies.
Haruna further explained that candidate lists were generated from submissions made by the parties and jointly signed by their National Chairmen and National Secretaries through the Form EC9 series (A-G).
He therefore described as unfounded and untrue any allegation that INEC independently uploaded or altered candidate information submitted by the NDC.
The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and accountability in the electoral process, assuring political parties and other stakeholders of a level playing field ahead of the 2027 general elections.
