NDC accuses INEC of hijacking its 2027 candidate list and considers legal action

The Nigeria Democratic Congress says nine people it does not recognize have appeared on the electoral commission’s list of candidates for State Houses of Assembly seats in Anambra State. The opposition party claims the names replaced candidates chosen in its primaries.

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The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, 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, principally in the Anambra State House of Assembly, home state of our Presidential Candidate, His Excellency Peter Obi.

In a statement, NDC National Chairman Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe accused the Independent National Electoral Commission and its officials of uploading and publishing what he called “unauthorized names” in several constituencies. He said none of the nine candidates had been nominated by the party or submitted to INEC under the law.

The dispute is especially sensitive for the NDC in Anambra, the home state of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi. The party described the publication as a deliberate attempt to sabotage it before the 2027 general election and said it had created confusion among supporters.

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Here, nine names, unknown to the party; names not authorized by the party; names not sent by the party to INEC, in accordance with the law, have now been uploaded and published as candidates of the party.

Zuwoghe called on INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan to order an immediate investigation into how the names entered the published list. He said the inquiry should extend beyond Anambra to constituencies in Benue, Imo and other states where the party says it has faced similar problems. The NDC warned that it would seek judicial intervention to reclaim the candidacies if the issue was not addressed.

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The same investigation should also be carried out in other constituencies like Benue, Imo and others, as this mischief has not only caused an embarrassment to the party, its leadership and genuine candidates, but has also caused a lot of disaffection among the millions of the party’s supporters all over the country and in the Diaspora.