INEC Accused of Replacing NDC Candidates With Unknown Names Ahead of 2027 Elections
- The NDC alleged that INEC removed its nominated candidates from the official list and substituted names the party says it never submitted
- NDC National Chairman Senator Moses Cleopas said the party's early investigation pointed to the involvement of INEC officials in the substitution
- Cleopas said INEC allegedly collected nomination forms directly from disputed candidates without going through the party, bypassing NDC entirely
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of swapping out some of its officially nominated candidates and replacing them with persons the party says it has no knowledge of, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, made the allegation in a statement on Sunday, following INEC's publication of candidates for the 2027 State Houses of Assembly elections.
Source: Facebook
He called on the INEC chairman to investigate how the disputed names ended up on the commission's published list.
Names NDC says were published without its consent.
Cleopas listed the following as names INEC allegedly published as NDC candidates in Anambra State without the party's authorisation:
- Onitsha South 1: Umennaajiego Jude Ezenwa -
- Onitsha South 2: Akpotue Obinna Chibuike -
- Orumba North: Nwankwo Chiemerie
- Anaocha 1: Maduagwu Eric K
- Idemili North: Ngoebisi Obinna
- Njikoka 1: Isintume Charles - Nnewi South: Nwachukwu Nonso
- Nnewi South 2: Okeke Ifeanyi Akunne
- Ayamelum: Nnonyelu Samson E
- Dunukofia: Azotani Chuks Francis
He said the party had asked INEC to extend its probe to Benue and Imo states, where the NDC claimed a similar pattern existed.
NDC alleges INEC bypassed party channels
According to Cleopas, after the party completed its primaries and appeals process, stakeholders from Anambra, the party leadership, representatives of Peter Obi, and the appeals panel agreed on a final list of candidates.
That list was signed off and uploaded to the INEC portal using the commission's own access code.
He alleged that INEC officials then placed nine of those names on "Pending" status, citing claims that the names already existed in the system following submissions from officials who monitored the party's primaries.
When the NDC formally challenged the situation and submitted the names it considered legitimate, INEC allegedly declined to make the replacements.
Cleopas said the commission went further, collecting Form EC-9 directly from the candidates in dispute and uploading the forms without involving the party.
"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, and uploading same," he said.
Source: Twitter
He argued that where a discrepancy arose between names a party submitted and information from monitoring teams, INEC should have left those positions vacant until the matter was resolved, rather than publish unrecognised names.
The NDC chairman said the development had embarrassed the party and its genuine candidates, and fuelled disaffection among supporters at home and in the diaspora.
He said the party would pursue legal action to restore what it described as its authentic candidates.
"We are moving to approach the court of competent jurisdiction to seek redress and restore our authentic candidates," he said.
INEC publishes gladiators of 2027 governorship elections
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that INEC released the official list of governorship candidates and running mates across Nigeria on Saturday via Form EC9.
Major parties including APC, PDP, ADC, and NDC feature prominently across the state-by-state candidate lists.
Governorship campaigns are expected to begin in September 2026, with elections scheduled for February 6, 2027.
Source: Legit.ng
