Posted by Chinenye on Wed 02nd Sep, 2026 - tori.ng
The battle over candidate nominations has taken a fresh turn as INEC responds to a serious allegation ahead of the 2027 elections.
(INEC. Photo by THISDAYLIVE)
The Independent National Electoral Commission has dismissed claims by the Nigeria Democratic Congress that it swapped out the party's properly nominated candidates with unauthorised ones before next year's elections.
INEC said the allegation has no basis.
The commission stressed that picking and submitting candidates is something only the political parties themselves can do, not INEC.
The electoral body has no power to choose, insert or replace candidates for any party.
INEC's job is just to oversee party primaries from the sidelines.
It doesn't get involved in selecting who runs for office.
All 22 registered political parties taking part in the 2027 elections chose two trained officers to handle candidate nominations after training provided by INEC.
Each party's national chairman was given access codes to the nomination system directly, face to face, not through anyone else.
The candidate lists came straight from what the political parties submitted themselves.
The NDC's national chairman and national secretary both signed off on their party's submission using the proper form.
INEC therefore rejected the claim that it independently uploaded or changed anything the NDC sent in.
The commission said it still has the signed forms showing exactly which candidates the NDC listed and submitted.
INEC assured all parties and stakeholders that it remains dedicated to running transparent and fair elections where everyone gets equal treatment.