The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has raised alarm that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has systematically removed its 10 nominated candidates for the 2027 general elections, and replaced them with strange names unknown to the party.
Reacting to the list of candidates for the State Houses of Assembly elections published Sunday by the election management body, the NDC National Chairman, Moses Cleopas accused INEC for publishing unknown names as a deliberate plot to sabotage the NDC ahead of the general elections and cause dissatisfaction among its millions of supporters.
The party explained that after the final list was uploaded to the INEC portal, using the code given by the electoral commission, the officials who are in complete control of the backend of the portal kept nine of the names on “pending” status but after the strange names were uploaded, the commission claimed that the unknown list was submitted by their officials who monitored the NDC primaries on the field.
NDC noted that even after a formal appeal for INEC to replace the unknown names with the party’s nomination list with necessary covering letter, the electoral body remained adamant, it went behind the NDC to collect the Form EC-9 directly from the candidates, bypassing the party, and uploading same.
The NDC, totally condemns the action of the apex electoral body and its officials over the uploading and publication of unauthorised names in various constituencies, principally in the Anambra State House of Assembly, which is the home state of its Presidential candidate, Peter Obi with 10 names not sent and unknown to the party in accordance with the law.
NDC national chairman called on the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan to urgently and immediately investigate the matter and unravel how the list came to be.
The party said the investigation should also be extended to other constituencies including Benue and Imo States where the NDC had observed a pattern of fencing out authentic candidates of the party for INEC-chosen imposters, saying it is an embarrassment to the candidates and leadership of the party.
The opposition vowed to also carry out its own independent investigation, adding that the preliminary findings of which are already pointing to the complicity of INEC officials in foisting names purporting to be its candidates and using the uploading process as a tool of blackmail and intimidation against the party.
The names allegedly smuggled by INEC into the NDC list of candidates for Anambra State House of Assembly include:
- Onitsha South 1 – Umennaajiego Jude Ezenwa
- Onitsha South 2 – Akpotue Obinna Chibuike
- Orumba North – Nwankwo Chiemerie
- Anaocha 1 – Maduagwu Eric K
- Idemili North – Ngoebisi Obinna
- Njikoka 1 – Isintume Charles
- Nnewi South – Nwachukwu Nonso
- Nnewi South 2 – Okeke Ifeanyi Akunne
- Ayamelum – Nnonyelu Samson E.
- Dunukofia – Azotani Chuks Francis
(Follow AIT News on WhatsApp, AfricaIndependentTV on YouTube, ait_online on Facebook and X (Formerly Twitter), and officialait on TikTok, Instagram and Threads)
Editor: Terverr Tyav
