The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of allegedly hijacking its candidate nomination process and replacing authentic candidates with names the party says it never nominated for the 2027 general elections.
The opposition party, reacting to INEC’s recently published list of candidates for the State Houses of Assembly elections, described the development as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the party, embarrass its leadership and trigger disaffection among its supporters ahead of the 2027 polls.
NDC National Chairman, Sen. Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, made the allegation in a strongly worded statement, with particular reference to Anambra State, the home state of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
According to him, 10 names published by INEC as NDC candidates in various Anambra constituencies were completely unknown to the party and were neither authorised nor submitted by its leadership.
“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,” Zuwoghe said.
He alleged that the situation was particularly troubling in Anambra, where the party claimed that names had been uploaded against its wishes despite the conclusion of its primaries and appeals process.
The NDC chairman demanded an immediate investigation by INEC Chairman, insisting that the commission must explain how the disputed names found their way into the official candidate list.
But the party said the alleged irregularities were not limited to Anambra, claiming similar incidents had been detected in Benue, Imo and other states.
“The same investigation should also be carried out in other constituencies like Benue, Imo and others, as this mischief has not only caused an embarrassment to the party, its leadership and genuine candidates, but has also caused a lot of disaffection among the millions of the party’s supporters,” he said.
NDC Alleges INEC ‘Backend’ Manipulation
Zuwoghe further alleged that the controversy stemmed from the electronic uploading of candidates through the INEC portal.
He claimed that after the party concluded its primaries and appeals process, its stakeholders, leadership, representatives of Peter Obi and the party’s Appeals Panel agreed on a final list of candidates.
According to him, the list was subsequently uploaded using the code supplied to the party by INEC.
However, he alleged that INEC officials kept nine names on “Pending” status, claiming that the commission’s system already contained names submitted by its officials who monitored the party’s primaries.
The NDC chairman said the party challenged those names and submitted the identities of its actual candidates, but INEC allegedly refused to alter the records.
He further alleged that INEC subsequently collected Form EC-9 directly from the disputed candidates, bypassing the party, and uploaded their details before publishing them as NDC candidates.
“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 Obi, INEC went behind the NDC to collect the Form EC-9 directly from the candidates, bypassing the party,” he alleged.
‘Leave Seats Blank, Don’t Impose Candidates’
The NDC chairman described the alleged action as unacceptable, arguing that where INEC had doubts about candidates submitted by a political party, the commission should have sought clarification rather than allegedly inserting names of its own choosing.
“At the very worst, INEC could have left us with no candidates for those positions, if they knew they were unwilling to engage us in addressing any perceived anomaly,” he said.
Zuwoghe accused INEC of creating a dangerous pattern in which opposition parties were allegedly prevented from uploading their preferred candidates while individuals allegedly chosen outside the parties’ nomination processes were inserted into official lists.
He said such a practice, if established, could undermine confidence in the electoral process and deepen internal crises within political parties.
The NDC chairman said the party was conducting its own independent investigation, claiming that its preliminary findings were already pointing to alleged complicity by some INEC officials.
He vowed that the party would pursue the matter to its logical conclusion, insisting that the disputed names must be removed and the authentic candidates recognised.
The allegations, however, remain claims by the NDC and would require a response from INEC to establish the commission’s position on the disputed candidate list.
