The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that it replaced the names of the party’s validly nominated candidates with unauthorised names ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC, in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), described the allegation as “unfounded”.
The commission stressed that political parties, rather than INEC, are responsible for nominating and submitting their candidates for elections.
“Candidate nomination is, by law, the exclusive responsibility of political parties. INEC has no legal authority to select, insert, or substitute a candidate for any party,” the statement said.
The commission explained that its role in monitoring party primaries was limited to statutory oversight and did not extend to choosing candidates for political parties.
According to INEC, all 22 registered political parties participating in the 2027 electoral process designated two technically trained officers to manage their candidate nomination processes following training organised by the commission.
It added that access codes to the nomination portal were subsequently issued directly to the national chairmen of the parties.
“The portal access codes were issued directly and in person to each party’s National Chairman, and not by proxy,” INEC said.
The commission further said the candidate lists were generated from submissions made by the political parties and jointly signed by their national chairmen and national secretaries through the relevant Form EC9 series.
It therefore rejected claims that it independently uploaded or altered the information submitted by the NDC.
“As a matter of fact, the Commission has in its possession, Form EC9E where these candidates were listed and submitted to the Commission duly signed by the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the party,” it said.
INEC assured political parties and other stakeholders that it remained committed to transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
“The Commission remains committed to transparency, accountability and providing a level playing field for all stakeholders in the electoral process,” the statement added.’
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