ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s electoral commission has rejected allegations that it improperly replaced candidates nominated by the Nigeria Democratic Congress for the 2027 elections, saying political parties alone have authority to choose their nominees. The Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, said it has begun examining electronic and documentary records after the NDC complained that people it did not nominate appeared on published candidate lists, particularly for State House of Assembly races in Anambra State.
The dispute emerged after NDC National Chairman Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe said the party discovered 10 names on an INEC list that it did not recognize as its authorized Anambra candidates. The party alleged that candidates produced through its primaries and internal appeals process had been removed and replaced, and called on INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan to investigate. The NDC also said it had concerns about candidate lists in Benue and Imo states, though those allegations have not been independently established.
INEC denied that it had selected or substituted candidates. Adedayo Oketola, chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, said, “INEC does not nominate candidates for political parties.” He said parties upload candidate information through INEC’s electronic nomination portal using credentials issued to them and that transactions on the system leave an audit trail. INEC said those records should make it possible to determine how and when disputed names entered the system and whether any electoral official was improperly involved.
The commission also challenged the NDC to provide evidence supporting its allegation that INEC officials obtained candidate documents directly from individuals and uploaded them without authorization from the party. Under Nigeria’s electoral system, INEC supervises and monitors aspects of the nomination process but does not choose candidates for political parties. Disputes over who validly emerged from party primaries, withdrawals or later attempts at substitution must be handled under the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026 and applicable election regulations.
The disagreement carries added political significance because Anambra is the home state of Peter Obi, the NDC’s presidential candidate and one of Nigeria’s most prominent opposition figures. Candidate disputes have long been a source of pre-election court battles in Nigeria, sometimes determining who ultimately appears on the ballot. The latest controversy is therefore an early test of both political parties’ internal nomination systems and INEC’s ability to demonstrate that its electronic processes are transparent and resistant to unauthorized changes as preparations accelerate for the 2027 general elections.
The dispute is likely to receive attention beyond Nigeria because elections in Africa’s most populous country are closely watched by regional governments, investors and international partners concerned with political stability in West Africa. Public confidence in INEC was heavily debated following previous Nigerian elections, making verifiable nomination procedures important well before voting begins. INEC says it will rely on its records rather than speculation to establish what happened in the NDC case, while the party is demanding that any unauthorized names be identified and corrected. The findings could determine whether the controversy remains an administrative dispute or develops into another pre-election legal battle.
