The affected constituencies include Onitsha South 1, Onitsha South 2, Orumba North, Anaocha 1, Idemili North, Njikoka 1, Nnewi South, Nnewi South 2, Ayamelum and Dunukofia
By Moses Okorie
365Daily – The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of allegedly removing some of its duly nominated candidates from the 2027 election list and replacing them with names the party says are unknown to its leadership.
The allegation followed the publication by INEC of the list of candidates for the 2027 State Houses of Assembly elections on Sunday.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the NDC National Chairman, Sen. Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, the party described the development as a deliberate attempt to undermine its preparations for the elections and create confusion among its supporters.
The party particularly raised concerns over the list for the Anambra State House of Assembly, describing the situation as more disturbing because Anambra is the home state of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
“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,” the statement said.
The party alleged that several names published as its candidates in Anambra were neither nominated nor authorized by the NDC and were not among the names submitted to INEC through its prescribed nomination process.
According to the NDC, the affected constituencies include Onitsha South 1, Onitsha South 2, Orumba North, Anaocha 1, Idemili North, Njikoka 1, Nnewi South, Nnewi South 2, Ayamelum and Dunukofia.
The party said similar discrepancies had been observed in other states, including Benue and Imo, and called on INEC to investigate the matter nationwide.
Zuwoghe said the alleged substitution had caused embarrassment to the party and its candidates while also creating disaffection among its supporters in Nigeria and abroad.
He explained that following the conclusion of the party’s primaries and appeal process, stakeholders, party leaders, representatives of Peter Obi and members of the appeals panel agreed on a final list of candidates.
The NDC chairman claimed that when the approved list was uploaded to the INEC portal using the access code provided to the party, some names were allegedly left on “pending” status by INEC officials.
He said INEC officials reportedly claimed that the affected names were already in the commission’s system and had been submitted by officials who monitored the NDC primaries.
Zuwoghe said the party subsequently challenged the names and submitted the identities of its preferred candidates, together with the necessary covering documents, but alleged that INEC failed to replace them.
He further alleged that INEC later obtained Form EC-9 directly from the affected individuals and uploaded the documents without going through the party.
“This not only runs against the grain of the Electoral Act and INEC’s own guidelines, it is simply unacceptable,” he said.
The NDC chairman argued that where INEC had concerns over the authenticity of candidates submitted by a political party, the commission should have left the affected positions vacant pending resolution of the dispute rather than uploading what the party described as unauthorized candidates.
He also accused the electoral commission of adopting a pattern that allegedly prevents opposition parties from uploading their legitimate candidates while imposing names on them.
The NDC called on the INEC Chairman to urgently institute an investigation into how the disputed names appeared on its candidate list and extend the probe to other constituencies where similar complaints had emerged.
The party said it was conducting its own investigation and claimed that preliminary findings pointed to possible involvement of some INEC officials. The commission has not, however, publicly responded to the allegations contained in the NDC statement.
Zuwoghe said the party would pursue the matter through all available legal channels, including approaching a court of competent jurisdiction to seek redress and have its alleged authentic candidates restored.
He urged NDC supporters and members of the public to disregard the disputed names pending the resolution of the matter, insisting that the individuals listed by INEC in the affected constituencies were not candidates nominated by the party.