2027 race: INEC recognises Atiku, 470 ADC candidates

Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially recognized candidates nominated by the Senator David Mark-led faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the upcoming 2027 general election. This decision follows a Supreme Court judgment that affirmed Mark's leadership of the party, granting his faction exclusive access to the nomination portal.

“

Yes, we gave the Mark-led faction the code based on the recent Supreme Court judgment that affirmed his leadership of the party and the faction has since submitted most of its candidates for a total of 471 – presidential (2), senatorial (109) and House of Representatives (360) constituencies.

Mohammed Haruna, an INEC National Commissioner, confirmed that the Mark-led faction has submitted candidates for a total of 471 elective positions, including the presidential race, 109 senatorial seats, and 360 House of Representatives constituencies. Haruna stated that the rival faction, led by Nafiu Gombe, has no legal basis to submit candidates, as their appeal for recognition was dismissed by the court.

“

The court, however, did not say we should accept any submissions by the rival faction which, in any case, had lost its appeal for recognition.

In response to INEC's clarification, the ADC has called for the investigation and prosecution of Nafiu Gombe. The party accused Gombe of attempting to mislead the public by falsely claiming to have obtained access codes to INEC's restricted nomination portal and uploading candidates. The ADC described these actions as a serious attempt to deceive Nigerians and urged security agencies to intervene.

“

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) welcomes the prompt clarification by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which unequivocally confirmed that the document circulated by Mr Nafiu Bala purporting to show that he had obtained the commission’s access code and uploaded candidates on behalf of the ADC for the 2027 general election was forged, and that the claim itself was entirely false.

The ADC's National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, issued a statement welcoming INEC's prompt clarification, which confirmed that Gombe's claims were false and that any circulated documents were forged. The party emphasized that the issue has escalated beyond political disagreements to an alleged attempt to deceive the public, urging the electoral commission to ensure all involved in the false claim are investigated and prosecuted.

“

The issue before us is no longer simply about the continuous false statements that have been issued by Nafiu Bala Gombe at the behest of his sponsors. It is about the clear and unmistakable attempt to mislead the Nigerian public.