NDC INEC candidate names dispute deepens as the party challenges 10 Anambra entries, while the electoral commission says its records can verify the process
Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, National Chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, and Adedayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, are at the centre of a growing dispute in Abuja and Anambra State over the publication of NDC candidate names for the 2027 State House of Assembly elections on Sunday, August 30, 2026, after the opposition party accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of replacing its nominees with unauthorised names.
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The dispute centres on 10 names published as NDC candidates in constituencies across Anambra, the home state of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
The NDC says the individuals did not emerge from its nomination process and were not submitted by the party.
Zuwoghe described the development as a serious electoral concern and called on INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan to investigate how the disputed names appeared on the commission’s candidate list.
“The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, totally condemns the action of the Independent National Electoral Commission and its officials over the uploading and publication of unauthorized names,” Zuwoghe said.
The names identified by the party are Umennaajiego Jude Ezenwa for Onitsha South 1, Akpotue Obinna Chibuike for Onitsha South 2, Nwankwo Chiemerie for Orumba North, Maduagwu Eric K for Anaocha 1 and Ngoebisi Obinna for Idemili North.
The remaining names are Isintume Charles for Njikoka 1, Nwachukwu Nonso for Nnewi South, Okeke Ifeanyi Akunne for Nnewi South 2, Nnonyelu Samson E for Ayamelum and Azotani Chuks Francis for Dunukofia.
Zuwoghe said the controversy emerged after the NDC completed its primaries and internal appeal process.
According to his account, stakeholders from Anambra, party leaders, representatives of Obi and the party’s appeals panel agreed on a final list before it was uploaded to INEC’s nomination portal.
He alleged that nine of the disputed entries were subsequently left in “Pending” status on the portal because, according to what the party was told, the names were already present in INEC’s system based on information supplied by officials who monitored the NDC primaries.
The NDC chairman further alleged that INEC officials later obtained Form EC-9 directly from the disputed candidates and uploaded their particulars without going through the party.
The party says the process amounted to an unacceptable interference with its internal nomination process and has indicated that it may seek judicial redress.
“We move to approach the court of competent jurisdiction to seek redress and restore our authentic candidates,” Zuwoghe said.
The dispute has, however, received a firm response from INEC.
Oketola rejected the suggestion that the commission had the authority or intention to select candidates for political parties, stressing that candidate nomination remains the responsibility of political parties, subject to the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026 and applicable regulations.
“For the avoidance of doubt, INEC does not nominate candidates for political parties,” Oketola said.
He explained that political parties use access credentials issued by INEC to submit candidate information through the commission’s nomination portal.
Crucially, he said the system maintains an electronic record of activity, meaning the history of entries can be examined to establish how individual names came to appear.
“It is therefore possible to establish objectively the history and source of entries relating to any candidate whose name appears on the portal,” Oketola said.
INEC also drew a distinction between monitoring party primaries and selecting candidates.
According to the commission, officials who observe a primary may submit reports for statutory purposes, but such monitoring does not transfer the power to nominate candidates from a political party to INEC.
“Neither does a report made by officials who monitor a primary confer upon the Commission the power to choose a candidate for the political party,” Oketola said.
The commission has nevertheless indicated that it will examine the records surrounding the constituencies identified by the NDC.
Oketola described the allegation that officials obtained EC-9 forms directly from candidates and inserted their details into the system as serious, but said the claim should be tested against electronic and documentary evidence rather than speculation.
INEC has also asked the NDC to provide details and evidence concerning any officials it believes interfered improperly with the nomination process, saying credible allegations of misconduct would be investigated.
The timing adds significance to the dispute. INEC’s published timetable set the nomination window for Governorship and State House of Assembly candidates from August 11 to August 25, 2026, while the commission subsequently moved to publish candidates and their personal particulars as part of preparations for the 2027 elections.
The disagreement also comes at a sensitive point in the NDC’s preparations for the election.
The party has previously faced legal uncertainty surrounding its registration and representation ahead of the 2027 polls, although its leadership has maintained that it will continue its preparations and challenge adverse decisions through the courts.
For the NDC, the immediate concern is ensuring that voters are not presented with candidates the party says it did not nominate.
For INEC, the challenge is demonstrating that the nomination portal and its procedures were applied in accordance with electoral law.
The competing accounts leave the central question unresolved: how did the disputed names enter the official candidate list?
With both sides pointing to records and formal processes, the answer is likely to emerge from the portal’s audit trail, nomination documents and, if necessary, judicial proceedings.
Until that evidence is examined, the allegations should remain allegations rather than established fact.
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What is clear is that the NDC INEC candidate names dispute has introduced an early and potentially consequential test of confidence in the candidate nomination process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
