INEC Denies Altering NDC Candidate List for Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected claims made by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that it altered the party's list of nominated candidates for certain State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra and Benue states. INEC stated that the candidates in question were included in Form EC9E, which was submitted to the commission and signed by the NDC National Chairman and National Secretary.

INEC's Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, emphasized that the commission does not have the legal authority to select or substitute candidates for any political party, as candidate nomination is solely the responsibility of the parties themselves. INEC clarified that its role is limited to monitoring party primaries and does not extend to imposing candidates.

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, INEC has trained officers from all 22 registered political parties to manage their candidate nomination processes, issuing portal access codes directly to the national chairmen of these parties.