The Independent National Electoral Commission has again disassociated itself from allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress that it removed validly nominated candidates and replaced them with unauthorized names.
DailyVista247 learnt that the reaction followed claims by the NDC over alleged replacement of its candidates for State House of Assembly seats in Anambra and Benue states.
The electoral commission stated that the allegations by the NDC are unfounded and that it lacks the power to select, insert or substitute candidates for any political party.
In a statement by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC insisted that candidate nomination is by law the exclusive responsibility of political parties.
It urged members of the opposition party to hold the National Chairman and National Secretary of the party responsible, as they are signatories to the nominated candidates, for whatever may have resulted in the alleged wrongful upload.
The commission emphasized that it has in its possession Form EC9E where the candidates were listed and submitted to the commission, duly signed by the National Chairman and National Secretary of the party.
"The commission has noted a statement by the leadership of the NDC alleging that INEC removed the party's validly nominated candidates for certain State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra and Benue states and replaced them with unauthorized names. The commission states that these allegations are unfounded," INEC stated.
"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. Monitoring a party's primary is a statutory oversight function only and confers no power on INEC to choose or impose a candidate," it added.
Explaining further, the commission's management noted that ahead of the 2027 election, all 22 registered parties designated two technically trained officers to handle their nomination process, following training organised by the commission.
Thereafter, portal access codes were issued directly and in person to each party's National Chairman, and not by proxy.
According to INEC, lists of candidates were generated for each party as submitted by the party, jointly signed by the National Chairmen and National Secretaries in Form EC9 series (A-G).
"Therefore, any claim that the commission independently uploaded or altered candidate information is unfounded and untrue. 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," the commission said.
The commission reassured that it remains committed to transparency, accountability and providing a level playing field for all stakeholders in the electoral process.
The commission also noted that any credible allegation of misconduct would be investigated in line with established procedures, while urging political parties to ensure their internal processes comply with the Constitution, Electoral Act 2026 and INEC guidelines.
