INEC rejects NDC allegations of candidate manipulation, insisting political parties alone nominate and submit candidates for elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has described claims by the Nigeria Democratic Congress that its officials removed names of candidates who have been nominated for the 2027 General Election and replaced them with names unknown to the party particularly in some State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra State as false.
The commission described the allegations as serious and require some clarification regarding its roles and the procedure for the nomination and submission of candidates by political parties.
The Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, who made the clarification in an interview with journalists in Abuja, said the commission does not nominate candidates for political parties but the responsibility of political parties, subject to compliance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026 and other applicable laws, Regulations and Guidelines.
He said, “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.
“The candidate nomination portal provided by the commission is the platform through which political parties submit the particulars of their candidates using access credentials issued for that purpose. Activities carried out in relation to the submission of candidates through the portal are electronically recorded and are capable of verification from the commission’s records and audit trail. It is therefore possible to establish objectively the history and source of entries relating to any candidate whose name appears on the portal.
“Accordingly, the allegation that officials of the commission introduced or “smuggled” candidates into the NDC’s list is not a matter that should be determined by speculation. The electronic and documentary records relating to the affected constituencies are capable of establishing the relevant facts.
“It is equally necessary to clarify the distinction between INEC’s responsibility to monitor political party primaries and the responsibility of political parties to nominate and submit their candidates.
“The commission’s monitoring of a political party primary does not amount to nomination of a candidate by INEC. Neither does a report made by officials who monitor a primary confer upon the commission the power to choose a candidate for the political party. The monitoring process serves the statutory purposes prescribed by law and does not transfer the party’s responsibility for nomination to the Commission.
“Where questions arise as to the person who validly emerged from a political party primary, the effect of an appeal arising from that primary, or the validity of any subsequent attempt to alter the outcome of the nomination process, those questions must be resolved strictly within the framework of the Electoral Act 2026 and other applicable laws. INEC cannot assume the role of a political party in choosing its candidates, nor can it disregard applicable statutory requirements governing the nomination and submission of candidates.
“The allegation by the NDC that INEC officials went behind the party to obtain Form EC9 directly from individual aspirants or candidates and thereafter uploaded their particulars without the authority of the party is particularly serious. Such an allegation is capable of objective verification from the commission’s electronic and documentary records.
“Rather than make categorical assertions on matters that can readily be established from those records, the commission will examine the relevant records relating to the constituencies identified by the NDC. If the party has evidence implicating any official of the commission in any unauthorised interference with its candidate nomination process, it should make such evidence and the particulars of the officials concerned available to the commission.
“Any credible allegation of misconduct by an official of the commission will be investigated in accordance with established procedures. It is important, however, to emphasise that the commission has no institutional interest in the choice of candidate made by any political party. Its responsibility is to administer the electoral process impartially and in accordance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act and applicable Regulations and Guidelines.
“Political parties also have a corresponding responsibility to ensure that their nomination processes, internal appeals, submission of candidates and use of the Commission’s candidate nomination portal are undertaken strictly in accordance with the law and within the prescribed timelines.
“INEC will continue to discharge its responsibilities transparently, impartially and in accordance with the rule of law. Where legitimate concerns are raised concerning the candidate nomination process, the commission will address them on the basis of its records and the applicable law.
“The commission will neither nominate candidates for political parties nor lend itself to the imposition of candidates on any political party.”
