By Emmanuel Thomas l Monday, August 31, 2026
AWKA — THE Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has fiercely condemned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing the electoral body and its officials of unlawfully replacing its officially nominated candidates with unauthorized individuals in the published candidate list for the State House of Assembly elections.
The opposition party raised the alarm over what it described as a deliberate attempt to subvert the democratic process, particularly targeting constituencies in Anambra State—the home state of the party’s presidential candidate, His Excellency Peter Obi.
According to a press statement released by the party leadership, the NDC expressed utter dismay after discovering that ten (10) names unknown to the party infrastructure had been uploaded and published on the official INEC portal as the party’s flagbearers for the Anambra State House of Assembly constituencies.
Party Denies Authorizing Published Names
The NDC asserted that the published names were neither nominated through its internal democratic processes nor submitted to the commission in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
”The Nigeria Democratic Congress totally condemns the action of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its officials over the uploading and publication of unauthorized names in various constituencies,” the statement read.
The party singled out Anambra State as the primary locus of the alleged infraction, highlighting that ten names not authorized by the party were listed by the electoral umpire.
”These are names unknown to the party; names not authorized by the party; names not sent by the party to INEC, in accordance with the law, [which] have now been uploaded and published as candidates of the party,” the statement added.
The leadership of the NDC demanded an immediate audit of the uploaded list and called on INEC to rectify the entries by restoring the names originally submitted by the party’s national executive.
Under Nigeria’s Electoral Act 2022, political parties are legally mandated to conduct primary elections to select candidates, whose names and credentials must then be submitted to INEC via its dedicated online portal within a specified window.
Section 31 of the Electoral Act stipulates that candidate submissions are the sole prerogative of the national leadership of registered political parties. Electoral laws strictly prohibit the substitution of candidates except in cases of death or voluntary withdrawal by the candidate via a sworn affidavit.
Allegations of unauthorized list tampering have historically triggered pre-election litigation in Nigerian courts. Legal precedents established by the Supreme Court of Nigeria affirm that political parties retain exclusive authority over candidate sponsorship, and electoral agencies lack the legal standing to alter, reject, or substitute names duly submitted by party leadership.
The development has added fresh tension to the political landscape in Anambra State. Given that Anambra is the home state of Peter Obi, the NDC views any administrative anomaly in the state as a strategic strike at its political stronghold.
Party stalwarts have warned that failure by INEC to immediately correct the candidate list could lead to legal action to enforce the party’s rights and protect the mandates of its legitimate candidates.
As of the time of filing this report, the Independent National Electoral Commission has not issued an official response to the NDC’s allegations. Stakeholders and voters in Anambra State remain on high alert as they await clarification from the electoral body.
