By Julius Peter
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of allegedly removing candidates validly nominated by the party for the 2027 general elections and replacing them with names it said were neither submitted nor authorised by the party.
The opposition party made the allegation while reacting to INEC’s recently published list of candidates for the 2027 State Houses of Assembly elections, describing the development as a serious threat to its participation in the elections and an attempt to create confusion among its supporters.
In a statement signed by its National Chairman, Sen. Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, the NDC alleged that the irregularities were particularly pronounced in Anambra State, the home state of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Gregory Obi.
According to Zuwoghe, nine names published by INEC as NDC candidates for various constituencies in Anambra State were unknown to the party and were not among those produced through its nomination, primary and appeal processes.
The NDC chairman said the development could not be dismissed as an administrative error, alleging that it formed part of what he described as a systematic attempt to undermine the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
The statement read in part: “The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, totally condemns the action of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its officials over the uploading and publication of unauthorized names in various constituencies, principally in the Anambra State House of Assembly (home State of our Presidential Candidate, His Excellency Peter Gregory Obi), where nine (9) names, unknown to the party;
names not authorized by the party; names not sent by the party to INEC, in accordance with the law, have now been uploaded and published as candidates of the party.”
The party called on the INEC chairman to immediately institute an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the publication and establish how the names allegedly got into the commission’s official list.
The NDC further demanded that the investigation should not be limited to Anambra State, saying similar discrepancies had allegedly been observed in other parts of the country, including Benue and Imo states.
NDC Lists Alleged Unauthorized Candidates
The party identified the following names as those allegedly published by INEC without its authorisation in Anambra State:
Onitsha South 1: Umennaajiego Jude EzenwaOnitsha South 2: Akpotue Obinna Chibuike
Orumba North: Nwankwo Chiemerie
Anaocha 1: Maduagwu Eric K
Idemili North: Ngoebisi Obinna
Njikoka 1: Isintume Charles
Nnewi South 1: Nwachukwu Nonso
Nnewi South 2: Okeke Ifeanyi Akunne
Ayamelum: Nnonyelu Samson E.
Dunukofia: Azotani Chuks Francis
The NDC chairman, however, said the party’s concern went beyond the identities of the individuals involved, arguing that the process through which the names allegedly appeared on the INEC portal raised fundamental questions about the integrity of the candidate nomination system.
‘I Never Uploaded Those Names’
Zuwoghe said that, as the national chairman and custodian of the code provided by INEC for the uploading of the party’s candidates, he was in a position to state categorically that the disputed names were not uploaded by him.
“I, as Chairman of the Party and custodian of the code given to the NDC by INEC for the upload of our candidates, never uploaded those names, and I unequivocally state that the party did not also upload those nine names,” he said.
He explained that the NDC had concluded its primary elections and subsequent appeal process before compiling what it regarded as the final list of candidates.
According to him, the list was produced through consultations involving Anambra stakeholders, the party leadership, representatives of its presidential candidate and the party’s appeals panel.
He said the final list was subsequently endorsed by the relevant stakeholders before it was uploaded to the INEC portal using the access code supplied to the party by the electoral commission.
However, Zuwoghe alleged that nine positions remained on “Pending” status on the INEC portal despite the party’s efforts to submit its candidates.
He claimed that INEC officials told the party that the names already existing on the commission’s system had been submitted by officials who monitored the NDC primaries.
The NDC chairman said the party subsequently challenged the disputed names, insisting that they did not emerge from its approved nomination process, and supplied what it described as the authentic names of candidates alongside the necessary covering documents.
According to him, the commission nevertheless declined to replace the disputed names.
The NDC further alleged that INEC officials bypassed the party in obtaining Form EC-9 from the individuals whose names were being disputed.
Zuwoghe said the alleged decision to obtain the forms directly from the affected individuals and subsequently upload them to the INEC portal strengthened the party’s suspicion that there was an attempt to impose the candidates on the NDC.
“To further confirm that there was a predetermined effort on the part of INEC to impose the said nine candidates on the party, and embarrass both NDC and Mr. Peter Gregory Obi, INEC went behind the NDC to collect the Form EC-9 directly from the candidates, bypassing the party, and uploading the same,” he alleged.
He argued that the process was inconsistent with what the party understood to be the provisions of the Electoral Act and INEC’s guidelines governing the nomination and submission of candidates by political parties
The NDC chairman maintained that where the electoral commission had concerns about the authenticity of names submitted by a political party, the appropriate response should have been to engage the party and resolve the discrepancy rather than allegedly replacing its nominees.
“The worst INEC can do in a situation whereby the names submitted by the party do not tally with those INEC claimed to have received from its monitoring teams on the field is to leave the space blank, not to preload fictitious names and prevent the party from loading its genuine candidates,” he said.
Opposition Parties Allegedly Targeted
The NDC also expressed concern over what it described as an emerging pattern in which opposition parties were allegedly being prevented from uploading or presenting their preferred candidates, while alternative names were supposedly introduced through the electoral commission’s systems.
Zuwoghe alleged that such actions could generate internal disputes within political parties and undermine the confidence of party members and supporters in the electoral process.
He said the development was particularly disturbing ahead of the 2027 general elections, when political parties are expected to focus on campaigns and mobilisation rather than battles over the authenticity of their candidates.
According to the NDC, the alleged publication has already generated dissatisfaction among its members and supporters in Nigeria and the diaspora.
The party therefore urged INEC to urgently investigate the matter, identify those responsible for the alleged discrepancies and reverse what it described as the wrongful publication of unauthorised candidates.
Zuwoghe said the party would pursue the matter through all available legal avenues, including approaching a court of competent jurisdiction.
He vowed that the NDC would continue to challenge the disputed list until what it described as its authentic candidates were restored.
The party also urged its supporters and the general public not to regard the names published by INEC as representing the NDC’s duly nominated candidates in the affected constituencies.
“As we move to approach the court of competent jurisdiction to seek redress and restore our authentic candidates, the general public and our millions of supporters should note that these are not our candidates, as published by INEC,” the NDC chairman said.
The allegations by the NDC place renewed focus on the candidate nomination and publication process ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly on the relationship between political parties and INEC in the submission, verification and publication of candidates.
INEC had yet to publicly respond to the specific allegations contained in the NDC statement at the time of the party’s announcement. A response from the electoral commission would be necessary to clarify how the disputed names came to be listed and the basis upon which they were accepted and published as NDC candid
