The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of replacing its officially nominated candidates with unrecognised persons on the published list for the 2027 State Houses of Assembly elections. The party's National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, made the allegation in a statement on Sunday, following INEC's release of candidate lists, and called for an investigation into how disputed names appeared on the commission's portal.
NDC Lists Alleged Unauthorised Candidates in Anambra
Cleopas identified nine constituencies in Anambra State where, he said, INEC published names without the party's authorisation. The disputed candidates include Umennaajiego Jude Ezenwa (Onitsha South 1), Akpotue Obinna Chibuike (Onitsha South 2), Nwankwo Chiemerie (Orumba North), Maduagwu Eric (Anaocha 1), Ngoebisi Obinna (Idemili North), Isintume Charles (Njikoka 1), Nwachukwu Nonso (Nnewi South), Okeke Ifeanyi Akunne (Nnewi South 2), Nnonyelu Samson (Ayamelum), and Azotani Chuks Francis (Dunukofia).
The party said it had asked INEC to extend its probe to Benue and Imo states, where a similar pattern was alleged. Cleopas noted that after the party completed its primaries and appeals process, stakeholders from Anambra, party leadership, representatives of Peter Obi, and the appeals panel agreed on a final list of candidates. That list was signed off and uploaded to the INEC portal using the commission's own access code, he said.
INEC Accused of Bypassing Party Channels
According to Cleopas, INEC officials placed nine of those names on "Pending" status, citing claims that the names already existed in the system from submissions by officials who monitored the party's primaries. When the NDC formally challenged the situation and submitted names it considered legitimate, INEC allegedly declined to make replacements. The commission then collected Form EC-9 directly from the disputed candidates and uploaded the forms without involving the party, he alleged.
"To further confirm that there was a predetermined effort on the part of INEC to impose the said nine candidates on the party, and embarrass both NDC and Mr Peter Obi, INEC went behind the NDC to collect the Form EC-9 directly from the candidates, bypassing the party, and uploading same," Cleopas said. He argued that where a discrepancy arose between names a party submitted and information from monitoring teams, INEC should have left those positions vacant until the matter was resolved, rather than publish unrecognised names.
Party Plans Legal Action
The NDC chairman said the development had embarrassed the party and its genuine candidates, and fuelled disaffection among supporters at home and in the diaspora. He said the party would pursue legal action to restore what it described as its authentic candidates. "We are moving to approach the court of competent jurisdiction to seek redress and restore our authentic candidates," he said.
Meanwhile, INEC released the official list of governorship candidates and running mates across Nigeria on Saturday via Form EC9. Major parties including APC, PDP, ADC, and NDC feature prominently across the state-by-state candidate lists. Governorship campaigns are expected to begin in September 2026, with elections scheduled for February 6, 2027.
