Party alleges unauthorised names were uploaded for 2027 elections, demands urgent investigation
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of allegedly replacing some of its nominated candidates for the 2027 State House of Assembly elections with names the party says were not submitted or authorised by its leadership.
The allegation followed the publication of the State House of Assembly candidate lists by INEC on Sunday, August 30, 2026.
According to a report by Africa Independent Television (AIT), the NDC National Chairman, Moses Cleopas, alleged that the commission had removed 10 candidates nominated by the party and replaced them with individuals unknown to the NDC.
Cleopas said the party became concerned after the final candidate list was uploaded to the INEC portal. He alleged that nine of the party’s submitted names remained on “pending” status, while other names were subsequently uploaded.
The NDC chairman further alleged that the commission attributed the disputed names to officials who monitored the party’s primaries.
The party said it subsequently appealed to INEC to replace the disputed names with its officially submitted nomination list and covering letter. However, according to the NDC, the commission did not act on the request.
The party also alleged that INEC collected Form EC-9 directly from some of the candidates without going through the party, describing the process as a departure from the procedure it expected.
The NDC particularly raised concerns over the Anambra State House of Assembly list, where it alleged that 10 names published by INEC were not those submitted by the party.
The disputed constituencies and names identified by the party are:
- Onitsha South 1 – Umennaajiego Jude Ezenwa
- Onitsha South 2 – Akpotue Obinna Chibuike
- Orumba North – Nwankwo Chiemerie
- Anaocha 1 – Maduagwu Eric K
- Idemili North – Ngoebisi Obinna
- Njikoka 1 – Isintume Charles
- Nnewi South – Nwachukwu Nonso
- Nnewi South 2 – Okeke Ifeanyi Akunne
- Ayamelum – Nnonyelu Samson E.
- Dunukofia – Azotani Chuks Francis
Beyond Anambra, the NDC alleged that similar discrepancies had occurred in some constituencies in Benue and Imo States, describing the development as a pattern that could undermine the party’s participation in the 2027 elections.
The party called on the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, to urgently investigate the allegations and establish how the disputed names came to be published as NDC candidates.
The NDC also said it would conduct an independent investigation into the matter, while alleging that its preliminary findings pointed to possible involvement by some electoral officials.
The allegations have not, however, been independently established. INEC had yet to publicly respond to the specific accusations at the time of the AIT report.
The development comes amid heightened preparations by political parties and electoral authorities for the 2027 general elections, making the accuracy and credibility of published candidate lists a matter of significant political and public interest.
