# Nigeria Democratic Congress electoral disputes

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/nigeria-democratic-congress-electoral-disputes
> Updated: 2026-09-01T19:23:39.000Z. Sources: 29. Developments: 3.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) is navigating internal and external electoral disputes ahead of the 2027 elections. Initially, the party faced an internal leadership struggle in Kaduna State regarding the governorship ticket. Party Chairman Mordecai Ibrahim announced that no valid candidate had been produced due to competing claims between Barrister Mohammed Sani Abbas and former Senator Danjuma La’ah, suggesting a substitution primary would be necessary to resolve the controversy. Following these internal issues, the NDC escalated its disputes to the national level by accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of tampering with candidate lists for the State Houses of Assembly elections. The party alleges that INEC removed 10 of its nominated candidates and replaced them with unauthorized individuals, specifically noting discrepancies in Anambra State. NDC National Chairman Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe has claimed that while legitimate candidates were placed on ‘pending’ status on the INEC portal, unknown names were subsequently uploaded. The party asserts these discrepancies are most prominent in Anambra State, though similar patterns were reportedly observed in Benue and Imo states. In response to these allegations, INEC has dismissed the claims, stating that candidate nomination is the ‘exclusive legal responsibility of political parties’ and that the commission has no authority to select, insert, or substitute candidates. INEC clarified that its role is limited to statutory oversight and noted that the disputed candidates were listed on Form EC9E documents which were ‘duly signed by the NDC National Chairman and National Secretary.’ The commission maintains that it holds electronic and documentary records to establish the source of all portal entries. In a recent development, the NDC has demanded an electronic audit of the nomination portal to determine how unauthorized names were uploaded, asserting that the party did not submit the required Form EC9E documents for the disputed candidates.

## Claims

- The NDC alleges that INEC replaced its 10 nominated candidates for the 2027 State Houses of Assembly elections with unauthorized names. (disputed by 9 sources)
- INEC denied replacing NDC candidates, stating the commission does not have the authority to nominate candidates for political parties. (disputed by 8 sources)
- NDC National Chairman Moses Cleopas has called on INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan to investigate the candidate list discrepancies. (corroborated by 8 sources)
- The NDC claims INEC bypassed the party to collect and upload candidate forms directly. (corroborated by 6 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-09-01: INEC denies NDC allegations of candidate substitution

The NDC has accused INEC of replacing its nominated candidates for the 2027 elections with unauthorized names, a claim the commission denies, citing signed party documents as proof of valid submission.

15 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/inec-denies-allegations-of-substituting-ndc-candidates

### 2026-08-30: NDC accuses INEC of replacing 2027 candidates with unauthorized names

The NDC has accused INEC of replacing its 2027 State House of Assembly candidates in Anambra State with unauthorized names. INEC denies the claims, stating it lacks the authority to nominate candidates.

15 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nigeria-democratic-congress-accuses-inec-of-replacing-candidates

### 2026-08-27: Nigeria Democratic Congress faces Kaduna governorship ticket dispute

The Nigeria Democratic Congress faces an internal dispute over its 2027 Kaduna governorship ticket, with multiple candidates claiming the nomination and the party chairman calling for a substitution primary.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nigeria-democratic-congress-faces-kaduna-governorship-ticket-dispute

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Cite as: Nigeria Democratic Congress electoral disputes. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/nigeria-democratic-congress-electoral-disputes