2027: NDC accuses INEC of replacing candidates with ‘strange names’

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of allegedly removing candidates nominated by the party for the 2027 general elections and replacing them with individuals it described as “strange names” unknown to the party.

The NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, made the allegation while reacting to the list of candidates for the State Houses of Assembly elections published by INEC on Sunday.

Zuwoghe said the development was a deliberate attempt to undermine the party ahead of the 2027 elections and create confusion and dissatisfaction among its supporters.

According to him, the alleged irregularities were particularly pronounced in Anambra State, the home state of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, where he claimed 10 names were published by INEC as NDC candidates without the party’s authorisation.

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“The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, totally condemns the action of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its officials over the uploading and publication of unauthorized names in various constituencies, principally in the Anambra State House of Assembly,” he said.

He listed the affected constituencies and names as 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.; and Dunukofia – Azotani Chuks Francis.

The NDC chairman said none of the listed individuals emerged from the party’s nomination process, insisting that the party did not submit their names to INEC.

“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 nine names,” Zuwoghe said.

He explained that following the conclusion of the party’s primaries and appeal process, stakeholders from Anambra, working with the party leadership, representatives of Peter Obi and the appeals panel, produced and endorsed a final list of candidates.

According to him, the NDC subsequently uploaded the list through the code provided by INEC, but alleged that INEC officials responsible for the backend of the portal kept nine of the names on “Pending” status.

Zuwoghe said INEC officials allegedly claimed that the names were already in the commission’s system and had been submitted by officials who monitored the NDC primaries.

He added that despite the party’s formal objection to the names and submission of the candidates it said were legitimately nominated, INEC allegedly proceeded to publish the disputed names.

The NDC chairman further alleged that INEC bypassed the party by obtaining Form EC-9 directly from the disputed candidates and uploading the forms on its portal.

“To further confirm that there was a predetermined effort on the part of INEC to impose the said nine candidates on the party, and embarrass both NDC and Mr. Peter Obi, INEC went behind the NDC to collect the Form EC-9 directly from the candidates, bypassing the party, and uploading same,” he alleged.

He described the action as unacceptable and contrary to the Electoral Act and INEC’s guidelines, arguing that where the commission had concerns about the authenticity of candidates submitted by a political party, it should have engaged the party rather than allegedly substituting candidates.

“At the very worst, INEC could have left us with no candidates for those positions, if they knew they were unwilling to engage us in addressing any perceived anomaly,” he said.

The NDC alleged that similar incidents had occurred in other parts of the country, including Benue and Imo states, and called for a comprehensive investigation into the publication of its candidates nationwide.

“We call on the INEC Chairman to urgently and immediately cause an investigation into the matter and unravel how this came to be,” the statement said.

The party also disclosed that it had commenced its own investigation into the alleged discrepancies, saying its preliminary findings pointed to alleged complicity by some INEC officials.

Zuwoghe accused the electoral commission of using the candidate-uploading process to allegedly blackmail and intimidate opposition parties and create internal divisions.

He said the NDC would pursue the matter “to the very end,” including approaching a court of competent jurisdiction to challenge the disputed nominations and seek the restoration of its authentic candidates.

The party chairman urged the public and NDC supporters to disregard the disputed names, stressing that the individuals published by INEC in the affected constituencies were not candidates nominated by the NDC.