The Independent National Electoral Commission has rejected allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress 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 unauthorized names.
In a statement Tuesday, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, described the allegations as unfounded.
Haruna said candidate nomination is the exclusive responsibility of political parties under the law, adding that INEC has no authority to select, insert or substitute candidates for any party.
He said the commission’s monitoring of party primaries is limited to its statutory oversight role and does not give it the power to choose or impose candidates.
According to Haruna, all 22 registered political parties designated two technically trained officers to manage their candidate nomination processes ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said the officers were trained by INEC, while portal access codes were issued directly to the national chairmen of the respective parties.
Haruna said candidate lists were generated from submissions made by the parties and jointly signed by their national chairmen and national secretaries through Form EC9 series A-G.
He said the commission also has in its possession Form EC9E listing the candidates in question, duly signed by the NDC national chairman and national secretary.
Haruna maintained that claims that INEC independently uploaded or altered the party’s candidate information were therefore “unfounded and untrue.”
He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to transparency, accountability and providing a level playing field for all stakeholders in the electoral process.
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