By Efe Onodjae
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Adewale Adebayo, has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is responsible for publishing the names of candidates submitted by political parties, not determining their eligibility.
Speaking on Sunday Politics, Adebayo described INEC as a public institution whose duty is to receive and make candidates’ information available to Nigerians, stressing that the commission is not responsible for verifying the accuracy of credentials submitted by aspirants.
“INEC is our servant. It’s working for the public. INEC is just like the post office. Its role is to collect the information submitted by political parties and candidates and make it available to the electorate. It’s not INEC’s job to vet the information,” he said.
According to him, it is the responsibility of the electorate and other stakeholders to scrutinise candidates’ claims and challenge any false declarations through the appropriate legal channels.
On the publication of his name as the SDP’s presidential candidate, Adebayo dismissed reports of a crisis within the party, insisting the SDP’s nomination process was peaceful and transparent.
He noted that alongside his name, INEC also published the names of the party’s vice-presidential candidate, 109 senatorial candidates and 360 House of Representatives candidates, describing the exercise as routine.
Adebayo urged Nigerians to focus less on political intrigues and more on issues affecting the country, including poverty, insecurity, poor governance and economic challenges, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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