By Emmanuel Thomas l Wednesday, Sept. 03, 2026
ABUJA — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has strongly denied allegations made by the leadership of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) claiming that the commission unlawfully removed its validly nominated candidates for certain State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra and Benue States and replaced them with unauthorized names.
Describing the claims as entirely unfounded, the electoral body clarified that it possesses documentary evidence, including duly signed nomination forms from the party’s executive leadership, which refutes the party’s assertions.
In an official statement released on September 1, 2026, and signed by National Commissioner Mohammed Kudu Haruna, Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), INEC reiterated that candidate nomination remains the exclusive legal responsibility of political parties under the Electoral Act.
INEC Rules Out Powers to Swap Candidates
Setting the record straight on the statutory boundaries of candidate selection, Haruna emphasized that the commission lacks any legal authority to choose, insert, or substitute candidates for any political entity.
”Candidate nomination is, by law, the exclusive responsibility of political parties,” the statement read. “INEC has no legal authority to select, insert, or substitute a candidate for any party. Monitoring a party’s primary is a statutory oversight function only and confers no power on INEC to choose or impose a candidate.”
Strict Portal Access and EC9 Submission Process
Detailing the administrative and technological safeguards introduced ahead of the 2027 general elections, INEC stated that all 22 registered political parties were provided with full, secure access to manage their own submissions.
According to the commission, each party designated two technically trained officers to manage the candidate nomination portal after undergoing comprehensive training organized by INEC.
Crucially, access codes to the nomination portals were handed over directly and in person to the National Chairmen of each political party, eliminating any possibility of proxy interference or third-party tampering.
”Thereafter, the portal access codes were issued directly and in person to each party’s National Chairman, and not by proxy. List of candidates were generated for each party as submitted by the party jointly signed by the National Chairmen and National Secretaries of the party, making the submission in Form EC9 series (A-G).
Therefore, any claim that the Commission independently uploaded or altered candidate information is unfounded and untrue,” Haruna affirmed.
INEC Exposes Evidence: Signed Form EC9E in Possession
Countering the NDC’s allegations of “smuggled” candidate names, INEC revealed that its database contains official documentation generated and validated directly by the NDC’s top decision-makers.
”As a matter of fact, the Commission has in its possession Form EC9E where these candidates were listed and submitted to the Commission duly signed by the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the party,” the electoral umpire stated, reaffirming its commitment to maintaining transparency, accountability, and a level playing field for all political stakeholders ahead of the upcoming polls.
The Core Dispute: The friction between political parties and INEC often stems from internal party wranglings following primary elections. Disgruntled party factions often accuse INEC of swapping candidate names when, in reality, national party executives alter submission lists before final submission to the INEC portal.
The Legal Framework: Under the Electoral Act, INEC’s role during party primaries is strictly observational. While INEC officials attend primaries to monitor compliance, the power to submit final lists rests exclusively with the National Officers (Chairman and Secretary) of the respective political parties through designated access codes.
The Form EC9 Series: Form EC9 is an affidavit containing a candidate’s personal particulars and credentials.
Form EC9E specifically applies to candidates running for State Houses of Assembly. Once signed by a party’s National Chairman and Secretary and submitted through INEC’s portal, the commission processes the document as the authentic decision of that party.
Digitalization of Submissions: To curb allegations of manual tampering, INEC transitioned to a digital candidate nomination portal. Access credentials are systematically issued only to recognized party heads to ensure full chain-of-custody accountability during the election prep cycle.