By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has threatened to drag the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the court over allegations that the electoral body substituted candidates nominated by the party with “unauthorised” names for the 2027 general elections.
The opposition party alleged that the disputed names were published as its candidates for several State House of Assembly constituencies, particularly in Anambra State, home state of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, in a statement on Sunday, demanded an immediate investigation into the alleged substitution, accusing unnamed INEC officials of attempting to impose candidates on the party.
“The Nigeria Democratic Congress totally condemns the action of the Independent National Electoral Commission and its officials over the uploading and publication of unauthorised names in various constituencies, principally in the Anambra State House of Assembly,” Zuwoghe said.
He alleged that candidates published by INEC were neither nominated nor authorised by the party.
“Names unknown to the party; names not authorised by the party; names not sent by the party to INEC, in accordance with the law, have now been uploaded and published as candidates of the party,” he added.
The affected constituencies include Onitsha South I and II, Orumba North, Anaocha I, Idemili North, Njikoka I, Nnewi South I and II, Ayamelum and Dunukofia.
Zuwoghe insisted that the party followed due process in conducting its primaries and appeals before submitting its final list of candidates to the commission.
He alleged that problems emerged after the NDC uploaded its approved candidates using the party’s designated access code on the INEC portal.
According to him, some of the names submitted by the party were placed on “pending” status, while INEC allegedly maintained that names already submitted by officials who monitored the party’s primaries were contained in its system.
“For clarity purposes, I, as Chairman of the Party and custodian of the code given to the NDC for the upload of our candidates, never uploaded those names, and I unequivocally state that the party did not also upload those names,” he said.
The NDC chairman alleged that despite formally challenging the disputed names and submitting what the party described as its authentic candidates, INEC went ahead to publish the controversial list.
He further accused the commission of bypassing the party to obtain Form EC-9 directly from the disputed candidates.
“To further confirm that there was a predetermined effort on the part of INEC to impose the said candidates on the party, INEC went behind the NDC to collect the Form EC-9 directly from the candidates, bypassing the party,” he alleged.
Zuwoghe argued that INEC had no power to determine candidates for political parties, insisting that any discrepancies arising from party primaries should be resolved with the affected political party.
“The worst INEC can do… is to leave the space blank, not to preload fictitious names and prevent the party from loading its genuine candidates,” he said.
He alleged that similar incidents could have occurred in other states, including Benue and Imo, and called for a wider investigation into the candidate nomination process.
The party, he said, had commenced an independent investigation, with preliminary findings allegedly pointing to the involvement of some INEC officials.
“We, as a party, are also carrying out our own independent investigation, the preliminary findings of which are already pointing to the complicity of INEC officials in foisting names purporting to be our candidates, but who are not from us,” Zuwoghe alleged.
He said the NDC would seek judicial redress to reverse the publication and restore candidates it described as authentic.
“The party will pursue the matter to the very end and ensure that the right thing is done and the mischief is reversed,” he declared.
The dispute sets the stage for a potentially significant legal battle ahead of the 2027 elections, as the NDC challenges INEC’s handling of candidate nominations and publication.
