NDC accuses INEC of replacing 2027 candidates with unauthorized names

Nigeria Democratic Congress INEC 2027 general elections candidate substitution Anambra State House of Assembly

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of substituting its nominated candidates for the 2027 general elections with unauthorized individuals. The dispute primarily concerns several State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra State, where the NDC claims nine to ten unknown names were published instead of its approved candidates.

NDC National Chairman Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe characterized the move as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the party and cause dissatisfaction among its supporters. The party further alleged that INEC officials bypassed party leadership to collect Form EC9 directly from individual aspirants to upload their details without authorization. The NDC has called for an immediate investigation by INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan and indicated it may seek legal redress.

INEC has denied the allegations, maintaining that the commission lacks the legal or constitutional authority to nominate or substitute candidates for political parties. INEC spokesperson Adedayo Oketola stated that candidate nomination is the sole responsibility of political parties and that all activities on the nomination portal are electronically recorded. The commission has launched an internal audit to examine its records and determine the source of the disputed entries, challenging the NDC to provide evidence of any specific official misconduct.

Entities

Adedayo Oketola · Anambra State · Independent National Electoral Commission · Joash Amupitan · Moses Cleopas · Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe · Nigeria Democratic Congress

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[DISPUTED] The NDC alleges that INEC replaced its 10 nominated candidates for the 2027 State Houses of Assembly elections with unauthorized names. ait.live · dailyreport.ng · newscentraltv.com · authorityngr.com · www.thisdaylive.com · +2 more
[● 8 SOURCES] NDC National Chairman Moses Cleopas has called on INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan to investigate the candidate list discrepancies. ait.live · dailyreport.ng · authorityngr.com · www.thisdaylive.com · www.lindaikejisblog.com · +1 more
[● 6 SOURCES] The NDC claims INEC bypassed the party to collect and upload candidate forms directly. ait.live · newscentraltv.com · lagostelevision.com · gwg.ng · realnewsmagazine.net · +1 more
[● 6 SOURCES] The NDC reports that nine of its original names were kept on 'pending' status on the INEC portal while unknown names were uploaded. ait.live · newscentraltv.com · authorityngr.com · www.lindaikejisblog.com · www.thisdaylive.com
[DISPUTED] INEC denied replacing NDC candidates, stating the commission does not have the authority to nominate candidates for political parties. newscentraltv.com · www.kemifilani.ng · lagostelevision.com · gwg.ng · chronicle.ng · +3 more