• Says electronic records will expose source of disputed names
•Publishes 19 guber candidates for Bauchi
Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations by Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that the commission’s officials removed candidates nominated by the party for the 2027 general election and replaced them with names, allegedly, unknown to the party.
NDC had alleged that some of its candidates were removed from INEC’s list and replaced with persons the party neither nominated nor authorised to contest under its platform, particularly in some House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra State.
But in a chat with THISDAY, Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said the commission had neither the constitutional nor statutory authority to nominate candidates for political parties, insisting that the responsibility rests squarely with the parties.
Oketola, however, said the commission would scrutinise its electronic and documentary records concerning the constituencies identified by NDC, particularly those in Anambra State, to establish how the disputed names came to appear on the candidate nomination portal.
He said the allegation that INEC officials “smuggled” candidates into NDC’s list was too serious to be determined through speculation, stressing that the commission’s electronic audit trail can objectively establish the source and history of entries submitted through the portal.
Oketola stated, “For the avoidance of doubt, INEC does not nominate candidates for political parties. The nomination of candidates is the responsibility of political parties, subject to compliance with the constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, and other applicable laws, regulations and guidelines.
“Similarly, the commission does not possess the legal authority to select a candidate for a political party or substitute its own preferred candidate for a person validly nominated by a political party in accordance with the law.”
He explained that the commission’s candidate nomination portal was specifically designed to receive candidate particulars from political parties through access credentials issued to them.
According to Oketola, every activity undertaken through the portal is electronically recorded, making it possible to trace the history of entries and determine where and how particular names were submitted.
In another development, INEC, through its Bauchi State Office, at the weekend, published names and biodata of 19 governorship candidates and their running mates contesting the 2027 general election in the state.
The list, displayed at the INEC office in Bauchi, contained candidates presented by various political parties seeking to participate in the governorship election.
Political supporters and party officials were seen at the INEC office checking the displayed list to confirm the inclusion of their candidates in compliance with the commission’s requirements and the electoral laws.