The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that it removed the party’s validly nominated candidates for some State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra and Benue States and replaced them with unauthorised names.
The Commission described the allegations as unfounded, insisting that political parties have the exclusive responsibility of nominating their candidates for elections.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu-Haruna, the Commission said it had no legal authority to select, insert or substitute candidates for any political party.
INEC said its role in the nomination process was limited to monitoring party primaries and other statutory responsibilities, adding that such oversight did not empower the Commission to impose candidates on political parties.
“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,” the Commission said.
It added that “monitoring a party’s primary is a statutory oversight function only and confers no power on INEC to choose or impose a candidate.”
The electoral body said that ahead of the 2027 general elections, all 22 registered political parties designated two technically trained officers to manage their candidate nomination processes.
According to the Commission, the officers underwent training organised by INEC before the parties were given access to the nomination portal.
It said the access codes were issued directly to the national chairmen of the respective parties, stressing that the codes were not issued through proxies.
INEC further explained that candidate lists were generated based on information submitted by the political parties through the prescribed forms.
“The list of candidates were generated for each party as submitted by the party, jointly signed by the National Chairmen and National Secretaries of the party, making the submission in Form EC9 series (A-G),” the statement said.
The Commission therefore rejected claims that it independently uploaded or altered the candidate information submitted by the NDC or any other political party.
“Therefore, any claim that the Commission independently uploaded or altered candidate information is unfounded and untrue,” it said.
INEC said it also had documentary evidence to support its position, noting that it was in possession of Form EC9E containing the names of the candidates allegedly affected by the controversy.
“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 electoral body stated.
The Commission assured political parties, candidates and other stakeholders that it remained committed to transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
INEC also reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring a level playing field for all political parties and participants ahead of the 2027 elections.
The statement was dated September 1, 2026, and signed by Mohammed Kudu-Haruna on behalf of the Commission.