The Independent National Electoral Commission has denied allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress that it removed candidates nominated by the party for the 2027 general elections and replaced them with names allegedly unknown to the party.
The allegations, which particularly concern some State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra State, were addressed by INEC’s Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, in a chat with our correspondent on Monday.
The NDC had, in a post on X, formerly Twitter, accused INEC and its officials of uploading and publishing unauthorised names in some constituencies in Anambra State.
According to the party, nine names unknown to it, and not authorised or submitted to INEC, were uploaded and published as its candidates for some constituencies in the Anambra State House of Assembly.
The NDC National Chairman, Moses Zuwoghe, said the development was particularly disturbing because Anambra is the home state of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
However, responding to the allegations, Oketola stressed that INEC had no legal authority to nominate candidates for political parties or substitute its preferred candidates for those validly nominated by a political party in accordance with the law.
“For the avoidance of doubt, INEC does not nominate candidates for political parties. The nomination of candidates is the responsibility of political parties, subject to compliance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026 and other applicable laws, Regulations and Guidelines,” he said.
He explained that while political parties were responsible for nominating and submitting their candidates, INEC’s role was to administer the electoral process in accordance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act and applicable regulations and guidelines.
According to him, the candidate nomination portal provided by the commission is the platform through which political parties submit the particulars of their candidates using access credentials issued for that purpose.
He added that all activities carried out on the portal were electronically recorded and could be verified through the Commission’s records and audit trail.
“It is therefore possible to establish objectively the history and source of entries relating to any candidate whose name appears on the portal,” Oketola said.
He said the allegation that INEC officials introduced or “smuggled” candidates into the NDC’s list should therefore not be determined through speculation, noting that the electronic and documentary records would establish what transpired.
Oketola also clarified the distinction between INEC’s responsibility to monitor political party primaries and the responsibility of parties to nominate and submit their candidates.
He said the monitoring of a party primary by INEC officials did not amount to the Commission nominatin
