ABUJA — The Nigeria Democratic Congress has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to investigate disputed names appearing on its list of candidates for the 2027 Anambra State House of Assembly elections, while the commission says its electronic records can establish how the names got onto the nomination portal.
The dispute followed INEC’s publication of State House of Assembly candidates on Sunday, August 30, 2026. NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, said 10 names published under the party’s platform in Anambra were not authorised or submitted by the party. Anambra is the home state of the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Zuwoghe said the party had completed its primaries and appeals before settling on its candidates. According to him, the approved list was uploaded through the candidate nomination portal using credentials supplied to the NDC by INEC. He alleged that nine of the party’s entries were left pending because names from INEC officials who monitored the primaries were already in the system.
The NDC chairman further alleged that the party objected to the disputed entries and supplied the names of its preferred candidates. He claimed that some affected aspirants later had Form EC-9 obtained directly from them and were subsequently listed by the commission. The allegation has not been independently established.
Zuwoghe called on INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, to investigate what happened. He also said the inquiry should cover alleged discrepancies in other states, including Benue and Imo, and indicated that the party could pursue legal remedies over the matter.
“We call on the INEC Chairman to urgently and immediately cause an investigation into the matter and unravel how this came to be.”
INEC has rejected the suggestion that it selected or substituted candidates for the NDC. Its Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said candidate nomination is the responsibility of political parties under the Constitution, Electoral Act 2026 and relevant regulations.
Oketola explained that parties submit candidates through INEC’s nomination portal using access credentials issued to them. He said activities on the platform are electronically recorded, making it possible to trace the history and source of entries appearing on the system.
“It is therefore possible to establish objectively the history and source of entries relating to any candidate whose name appears on the portal.”
INEC said it would examine electronic and documentary records concerning the constituencies identified by the NDC and urged the party to provide evidence of any official alleged to have interfered with its nomination process. The commission said credible allegations of misconduct would be investigated under its established procedures.
The immediate question is therefore how the disputed names entered the official system. The NDC wants an investigation, while INEC says its records and audit trail should provide the evidence needed to determine what occurred.
