Abuja, Nigeria — August 30, 2026
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has formally accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of unlawfully substituting its nominated candidates for the 2027 State Houses of Assembly elections with individuals the party says it never authorized.
Anambra at the Center of the Dispute
The party’s sharpest concerns centered on Anambra State — home state of NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi — where it alleged that ten individuals who did not emerge from its nomination process were published by INEC as its official candidates.
In a statement issued by National Chairman Sen. Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, the party named the constituencies and individuals it disputes:
- 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
How the Party Says the Names Got There
Zuwoghe explained that after the conclusion of the NDC primaries and appeal process, stakeholders from Anambra, party leadership, representatives of Obi, and the appeals panel agreed on a final candidate list, which was signed by the relevant stakeholders before being uploaded to the INEC portal using the code provided to the party by the commission.
According to Zuwoghe, INEC officials subsequently left nine of the submitted names on “Pending” status, claiming the affected names already existed in the commission’s system based on submissions from officials who had monitored the party’s primaries.
The chairman said that even after NDC formally appealed and resubmitted its actual nominees with a covering letter, INEC did not budge. He alleged the commission then bypassed the party entirely — collecting Form EC-9 directly from the disputed candidates rather than through the party, and uploading and publishing those names as authentic NDC candidates.
The chairman argued that even in a genuine dispute over names, INEC’s proper recourse would have been to leave the ballot positions blank rather than impose unverified names.
A Wider Pattern, NDC Alleges
Cleopas urged INEC to extend its investigation beyond Anambra to Benue and Imo states, where he said the party had observed a similar pattern of interference. He said the situation has embarrassed the party and its genuine candidates while creating disaffection among supporters both within Nigeria and in the diaspora.
The party said it is conducting its own parallel investigation, with preliminary findings pointing toward the involvement of INEC officials in pushing forward names that do not belong to the party — allegedly as a means of pressuring or intimidating party leadership.
Next Steps
NDC says it will pursue the matter “to the very end,” including approaching the courts to seek redress and have its authentic candidates restored. In the meantime, the party has publicly disowned the disputed names, stating unambiguously that the published individuals are not its candidates.
INEC has not yet issued a public response to these allegations.
Separately, an earlier, unrelated report indicated at least one of the disputed seats — Anaocha 1 — was already the subject of an internal NDC nomination dispute between two rival claimants before INEC published its list, suggesting the picture may be complicated by intra-party disagreements as well as the party’s allegations against INEC.
