The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that validly nominated candidates of the party for some State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra and Benue states were removed and replaced with unauthorised names.
In a statement issued on September 1, the Commission described the allegations as unfounded, insisting that it has no legal authority to select, insert or substitute candidates for any political party.
INEC stressed that, under the law, the nomination of candidates remains the exclusive responsibility of political parties, while the Commission’s role in monitoring party primaries is limited to statutory oversight and does not confer any power to choose or impose candidates.
The Commission said that ahead of the 2027 general election, all 22 registered political parties designated two technically trained officials to manage their respective candidate nomination processes after participating in training organised by INEC.
According to the Commission, access codes for the candidate nomination portal were subsequently issued directly and personally to each party’s National Chairman and not through proxies.
INEC further explained that the lists of candidates were generated based on information submitted by the political parties and jointly authenticated by their National Chairmen and National Secretaries through the prescribed Form EC9 series, covering Forms A to G.
“Therefore, any claim that the Commission independently uploaded or altered candidate information is unfounded and untrue,” the statement said.
The electoral body added that it has in its possession Form EC9E containing the names of the candidates in question, which were duly submitted and signed by the NDC’s National Chairman and National Secretary.
INEC reiterated its commitment to transparency, accountability and the provision of a level playing field for all political parties and other stakeholders in the electoral process.
The statement was signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, Chairman of the Commission’s Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), and dated September 1, 2026.
